Crusade
by Bubba Hyde
Summary: The anti-mutant terrorist organization known as RIGHT unleashes a nightmare on the Xavier Institute. Cannonball, Boom-Boom, Wolfsbane and DireWulf make their stand against the genocidal maniacs and one will make the ultimate sacrifice for their friends and the institute. Warning: Violence and Profanity
1. Chapter 1: Bent and Broken

A/N: I wrote the first version of this 10 years ago and while it got mostly positive reviews, I was never really happy with it. I re-wrote certain portions of the story, but never published it...the computer crashed and I thought it was lost. My current computer isn't long for this world and as I was backing up the files, I discovered another copy. So, here is the final version of Crusade...10 years late.

Think of this as the **"Directors Cut"** I didn't pull any punches with the profanity or the violence; it's there, it's ugly sometimes and if it's not your cup of tea...well, I completely understand. That said, I do hope you will give it a shot, especially if you read the previous version.

The first seven chapters are mostly fluff, although there are some good character moments when Tabitha and Rahne find love. Chapters 8-20 deal directly with the new threat posed by RIGHT and the four main characters prove they are ready to join the X-Men; with tragic results for one.

This story is based in the X-Men Evolution Universe, but it doesn't follow the story exactly and it's influenced by the comics as well.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything but my OC; Marvel owns everything else.

* * *

**Crusade**

**Chapter 1: Bent and Broken**

Charles Xavier sat in his office, reading the latest incident report that lay before him on his desk. "You've seen this?" he asked Ororo.

"Yes Charles...it's horrifying..." she muttered.

"Horrifying doesn't begin to describe it..." he sighed as he closed the folder and pushed it away in disgust. The folder contained a police report detailing the latest in a series of brutal hate crimes against mutants. This time the perpetrator was a group known as The Reavers...a group who had made their voice heard by abducting and crucifying several young mutants.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Logan growled as he walked in and sat down.

"Those who were immediately responsible for the attack have already been arrested...our goal should be to find out who's responsible for organizing and funding these groups and deal with them appropriately."

"Good...cause you can rest assured nobody else is going to do anything about it...arresting these lackeys is like putting a band-aid on cancer." he snorted as he tossed the folder aside.

"Logan, I share your anger...but I'm going to ask all of you to use the utmost discretion in dealing with this situation. It's our job to protect the innocent, both human and mutant, but in doing that we don't want to provoke more violence if we can help it."

"Fine Chuck...if that's how its gotta be, but we better get to work, cause I gotta tell ya...I don't enjoy sittin here on my ass while kids are gettin killed and I could be doin somethin about it...and I a'int the only one." He said as he lit a cigar and left the room.

"Regrettably, he's right." Xavier said gravely. "Atrocities like this only make Eric right...and his actions do the same for the humans...if either side succeeds, millions could be killed."

"Which is why we're all behind you...we have to learn to live together...we'll make your vision a reality." Ororo reassured him.

"Thank you...without your support...we would have been at war years ago..." He said.

"There have been times when I thought about giving up..." she admitted. "All this anger and violence can poison your soul if you let it...but every time was ready to give up and go home, I stopped and looked at the kids and realized I had to keep on fighting if they were going to have a future." "They believe in you Charles...I believe in you...you could have done so many things with your fortune, but you chose to help a handful of children that no one wanted...we'd lost hope before you took us in and showed us what good we could do with our lives..."

"Don't make me out to be a saint..." Xavier interrupted.

"You never forced any of us to fight...we chose this life because we share your dream and your respect for life...and we're not alone." she said. "I've prepared a room for our new student and I've almost finished with the paperwork to enroll him in school." She said. She had to admit, she was a little apprehensive, their new student had some psychological and emotional issues and they had their hands full with poor Laura already. Still, they'd never turn anyone away and Laura was making progress, especially now that Rahne had befriended her. _'I'm so proud of her….I'm proud of all of them.'_ Ororo thought as she looked out the window and saw Sam, Tabitha and Rahne returning from school.

* * *

**Outside**

'_She's so lucky to have him...'_ Rahne thought as Sam parked his truck in the garage and leaned over to give Tabitha a quick kiss on the cheek. Tabitha had returned to the institute about two months ago and they'd quickly become attracted to each other. Tabitha was her roommate and she was really close to both of them, even taking Sam to church with her. Part of her wished that _their_ relationship had become more serious that just a strong friendship. She was ashamed to admit that she was a little jealous of her roommate, but she couldn't help it, Sam was a really great guy. He was kind and patient, he was strong, honest and a really hard worker...he was also really good looking too, the kind of guy she'd always hoped to have a relationship with. Unfortunately, he treated her more like a little sister than anything else, so Rahne made up her mind she wasn't going to be jealous anymore, that was just selfish and wrong. It was Sam's choice and he'd chosen Tabitha; she loved her roommate and she felt like she was betraying her by even having thoughts like these. _'I'm happy for you, and I promise I won't come between the two of you.'_ she thought as they got out and started walking back up the driveway to the institute.

After everything she'd learned about her roommate, she realized Tabitha needed Sam more than she did, she felt that God had brought the two of them together for a reason and she trusted him to lead her to the right man for her. Rahne didn't know _all_ the details, but she knew Tabitha had a horrible relationship with her parents, especially her father, so it was pretty obvious to her why she was so attracted to Sam. Rahne hated her father and she knew exactly what Tabitha was going through and really wanted to help her. Despite their blossoming friendship, Tabitha wasn't really eager to talk about her past and Rahne tried to respect her privacy, but she was really worried about her.

Tabitha didn't really fit in well and some of the instructors regarded her as a slacker and a bad influence on the others. Fortunately Ororo and Professor Xavier seemed to be on her side and they kept trying to work with her even though she was given to blowing off Danger Room training and sneaking out to go get drunk at parties with the kids from town. Rahne could see that all Tabitha's drinking, partying and flirting was just a cover for her own self-doubt and the pain she felt from being abandoned and unloved. She tried to talk to her about it when she first moved in with her, but Tabitha couldn't stand Rahne's wholesome attitude and thought she was being holier than thou. Rahne was offended, but she refused to give up on her and started following her to make sure nothing bad happened to her and no one tried to take advantage of her.

At first Tabitha had been annoyed by Rahne tagging along with her, but after the last party they went too, she was glad she had. Rahne had caught a guy putting GHB in her drink and stopped him and his friends from taking advantage of her or any of the other girls at the party. Rahne was one of Logan's best students in self-defense class and she wiped the floor with him without even using her powers. His friends freaked out and bailed on him before anyone could call the police, but she wasn't about to spend one more second at that party. Rahne grabbed her inebriated roommate and got a ride from one of the girls from her church before the police arrived, but they'd still gotten caught by Logan.

Rahne pleaded with him not to punish Tabitha or tell the others what had happed, to let her handle it when she sobered up. Logan would have refused such a request from anyone else, but he had a soft spot for Rahne and he knew he could trust her to always do the right thing. He gave Rahne his word and even carried Tabitha back to their room for her. Tabitha was sick most of the night and Rahne stayed up with her and took care of her until she was well enough to talk about what had almost happened. Tabitha was so ashamed of herself she didn't know what to say to Rahne, she knew how dangerous the world _really_ was and she couldn't believe she'd gotten so drunk she'd fallen for that. She realized Rahne really did care about her and wanted to be the first _real_ friend she'd ever had.

Tabitha also realized she was ruining her life just as her parents had ruined theirs and the thought that she'd nearly been raped by five guys made her reconsider her idea of a good time and she'd stopped drinking so much and hanging out at those kind of parties. She knew Rahne wasn't going to stop following her and for the first time in her life, she stopped to consider what effect her actions were having on other people. Tabitha would never forgive herself if something happened to her, she was beginning to truly understand how special Rahne was, she respected her now and she was glad they were friends. She also began to notice that as strong as Rahne seemed to be, she was hurting inside as well and Tabitha wanted to help her.

"Tha' new haircut looks really good on ye Tabby." Rahne said as they walked up the driveway.

"Thanks, I thought it was time for a change." she said. Her hair had been really long, but now she'd gotten it cut short and it looked great on her.

"Yeah and ya helped some poor kid with cancer too." Sam reminded her as he leaned over and kissed her.

"That's really what made me go through with it...and I'm really glad I did." she said as she put her arm around Rahne. Rahne had told her she could donate it and she was glad she could help someone and look good doing it.

"Tabitha, you've got a visitor." Jean-Paul said as he greeted them at the door. "He's in the old sitting room." he added, nodding toward the door.

* * *

**The Old Sitting Room**

"Why are you here?! You know you're not supposed to have any contact with me!" Tabitha snapped as she walked in and saw her father. _'What the hell was Northstar thinking?!' _she wondered. She thought she'd made it clear to the instructors she never wanted to see either of her parents ever again, especially not her father, she had a restraining order against him. Unfortunately, Jean-Paul had just come back to visit and he didn't know about her father; otherwise he'd never have let him near her.

"You're my daughter; I just wanted to see you again." Martin Smith answered as he held out his arms. The insincerity was evident in his voice and he wasn't fooling anyone, let alone her.

"You're just here because you're broke." Tabitha said bluntly as she took a step back from him. There was no way she was going to hug him after everything he'd done. Sam and Rahne both took a step toward him and gave him looks that could have melted steel.

"What the hell is your problem boy?!" he snapped as he turned to Sam. His real personality was on full display now and he was every bit as hateful as Rahne had imagined he'd be. Sam didn't know anything about Tabitha's life before the institute, he'd only known her about two months, but he knew she didn't get along with parents. Now that he met her father it was easy to see why, he was short, ugly and bad tempered, it was almost impossible to believe Tabitha could be related to someone so pathetic. If this guy thought he was going to intimidate Sam Guthrie, he was sadly mistaken, one look in his eyes and Sam knew he was a coward, he'd seen his kind before and he hated guys like him.

"Ya try t' put yer hands on her again and you'll find out." he said coldly as Martin Smith took a step back. "You damn well better back up." Sam hissed. It was obvious from her father's attitude and from what she'd said about no contact with her that he must have abused her and Sam wanted to beat the hell out of him. Rahne was having similar thoughts, but she reached over and put her hand on Sam's arm, she could sense his anger and while she shared his contempt for the man, it would be better if this confrontation ended peacefully.

"I don't have anything for you! Get out and leave me alone! I never want to see you again!" Tabitha yelled. She was ashamed of her father and ashamed of her past, she didn't want anyone to find out what she'd done or where she'd come from, especially not Sam and Rahne. They both treated her with respect and dignity and she didn't want them to know the truth about how he'd forced her to use her powers to help him steal and she didn't want to have to admit she was white-trash from a trailer park.

"So now you think you're too good for me?!" her dad yelled. "You're a thief! You're nothin but a white-trash whore just like your mom and..." He never got a chance to finish as Sam slammed his fist into his face and started beating him mercilessly. Rahne let him go for a few moments before she pulled him away, she abhorred violence but knew it was sometimes necessary, especially in this case. This horrible man reminded her of her own father, who she loathed, and she felt terrible that he'd said that to Tabitha in front of the others. They'd heard them yelling at each other and had arrived just in time to hear everything. It was obvious from the look on Tabitha's face that she was beyond humiliated, she was completely destroyed. Tabitha broke down crying and pushed her way past the others, followed by Rahne and Sam. The X-Men and other students were shocked, Tabitha always seemed so happy and cheerful; they never would have guessed she had such a horrible life before she came to live with them.

Logan grabbed Martin Smith and dragged him, beaten and bloody, to the front door to throw him out. Logan hurled him down in the driveway and stood over him like an animal about to go in for the kill. "You piece of shit!" he yelled as he kicked him as hard as he could. "You think you're tough beating up little girls?! Let's see how big your balls are now!" Martin rolled over and vomited from the force of the blow, if he got out of this alive, there was no way he was ever coming back to this place.

Logan walked over and put his boot on his throat. "Now you listen to me and you listen good, you're gonna get up and you're gonna get outta here and you're never gonna hurt her again, or they won't find your body...I promise you that Bub." he said as his claws burst out. Martin Smith forced himself to his feet and scramble to his truck, desperate to escape another savage beating.

"Asshole." he muttered as he watched him drive away. _'Poor kid, she didn't deserve this...'_ Logan thought as he turned and walked back to the house. Tabitha could be a nuisance sometimes, blowing off training, sneaking out and he hated it when she called him "badger" but he'd seen enough to know she was a good kid despite all the clowning around she did.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Tabitha! Wait!" Sam pleaded as he and Rahne followed her upstairs. They'd only been going out for a short time, but he really wanted their relationship to become serious. He knew Tabitha had her faults and was obviously running from her past, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, but he didn't care. He didn't believe anything her father had said about her, but even if it was all true, he still didn't care, he respected Tabitha because she hadn't allowed herself to give in to anger or self pity. He respected her because she didn't take things for granted like a lot of the others did; she was one of the few students who didn't rely completely on the professor's generosity.

"Leave me alone Sam...please just go away..." Tabitha sobbed as she headed for her room.

"Ah don't care if everything he said is true! It doesn't matter to me, but you do!" he said in utter desperation.

"Leave me alone!" she cried as she slammed the door and locked it.

"Damn it..." he cursed as he turned around and leaned against her door. Rahne came to his side and listened at the door for a moment. She still had the senses of a wolf even in her normal form and there was very little that escaped her notice.

"Let her be..." Rahne sighed as she heard Tabitha sobbing. "I'll come back later when she's calmed down." she said as they walked back down the hall to Sam's room. Sam had split the skin on his knuckles punching Tabitha's father and Rahne cleaned his wound and bandaged his hand before they both sat down on his bed to talk.

"Is she mad at me because Ah hit him?" Sam asked as kicked off his boots and lay back on his bed.

"She's nae mad at ye." Rahne said as she tossed her shoes beside his bed and sat there facing him. "She's humiliated...worse than tha' really...and I know jus' how she feels." She sighed. She knew Tabitha had family problems and she'd been trying to talk to her about it, but Tabitha had been avoiding the subject. Rahne knew she should have been more direct and forthcoming about her own past and she felt like she'd failed Tabitha.

"**_He_** beat ya too?!" Sam asked. This day was turning into nightmare, he just found out _both_ his friend and his girlfriend had been abused and treated like garbage and there was nothing he could really do to make it any better. He didn't know what to say to either of them, he came from a big family that loved each other, what did he know about what they were going through?

"Aye….he did….." Rahne said, as a thousand horrible memories flooded back to her. "Tha's why ye ha' tae let me be th' first one tae talk tae her...I know wha' she's feeling, be glad ye ne'er will." she added.

"Ah am." he said as he reached over and held Rahne's hand. She'd told them Reverend Craig treated her badly, she could be moody sometimes and she had emotional outbursts now and then, but Sam hadn't wanted to believe anyone could beat someone like Rahne. She was so sweet and innocent and it really hurt him to know she'd been abused and treated so horribly. He was absolutely sick over what had happened to Tabitha and he couldn't get the image of her beaten, bruised, lonely, unloved and crying in pain and fear out of his mind. It was sickening and he was glad Rahne was there to talk with him and help him deal with it; this level of cruelty was completely alien to him.

They must have talked for an hour before Rahne finally got up and went to check on her roommate. She didn't get any answer when she knocked and she could tell there was no one in the room even though the door was still locked, it smelled like the window was open, she could smell grass and pollen. A horrible thought flashed through Rahne's mind and she kicked the door open, ran to the window and jumped out.

* * *

**The Garden**

"Where are ye goin?!" Rahne asked as she caught up to Tabitha at the edge of the woods. Tabitha dropped her backpack off her shoulder, sat down and began to cry.

"Away Rahne…..I don't know, but I can't stay here….everything he said is true…..I'm a thief, I'm white-trash….I'm damn sure not X-Men material and Sam's not gonna want someone like me…." She cried. Rahne fought the urge to slap her, she was being ridiculous, but she knew she was so emotionally destroyed that she couldn't help it. "I don't matter Rahne…." Tabitha said. "My own mother told me I was an accident…."

"Yui're nae an accident! Yuir life is nae a mistake Tabby! Ye were born fer a purpose! Jesus died tae save ye from hell and he loves ye ne matter wha' ye've done. Ye matter tae God and ye matter tae me! Yui're muh friend and I love ye!" Rahne cried.

"What do you want with a friend like me?" Tabitha asked, trying not to cry. Her life was a total train wreck and nobody ever stayed close to her long, but one look in Rahne's eyes told her she was dead serious. She'd always been there for her and Tabitha realized she _really_ did care about her; she was the first _real_ friend she'd ever had.

"Yui're th only one who understands me..." Rahne whispered. "Muh father hurt me tae..."

"I'm sorry...oh God, I'm sorry...all this time you've been trying to help me, but I wouldn't listen...I've been so selfish..." she said, realizing how deeply Rahne was suffering.

"Ye were jus' lost and hurt...I know, I've been there." Rahne said as she put her arm around her. Tabitha was so touched by Rahne's love and concern for her that she started to cry herself. "Let it out Tabby...I know ye dinnae want tae, but its jus' th two of us and I know how much it hurts..." Tabitha had given up on God a long time ago and had tried to pretend she didn't believe, but Rahne's sincerity and her genuine love and compassion for her moved Tabitha in a way nothing else in her life ever had and she opened her heart to the truth. The truth that she wasn't an accident, that God didn't make mistakes and that her life did have meaning and she'd never be alone again. She had to face the truth; it was obvious that she was only hurting herself with her rebellious behavior; her parents didn't care and they never had. She didn't know where to even begin, she wasn't exactly a model of virtue and she'd always thought of Christians as a bunch of pompous hypocrites, but she couldn't deny what she was feeling. God loved her, he was calling her and she couldn't ignore it, she knew it was time to give her life to him and stop destroying herself.

Tabitha finally broke down and told Rahne about her dad, about his drinking and criminal record, and how badly he'd beaten her when her powers manifested, and every other time she'd made him angry. About how he'd forced her to help him steal by using her powers, about how he'd finally gotten arrested and about how her step mother had rejected her and she'd lived on the street, about how her mom had refused to take her in and abandoned her at the institute. Finally, Tabitha began to cry again, her tears had been suppressed by beatings and insults for too long and now that she had finally found someone who understood her, she couldn't pretend it didn't hurt any longer.

Rahne knew exactly how Tabitha felt and she was glad she could help her new friend, she held her and tried to comfort her, but it wasn't long before she was crying as well. She had come a long way toward getting her life straightened out since Moira had saved her, but she still carried emotional scars from her past life and she knew she always would. Rahne also told Tabitha about her life, about how her mother had died when she was four. She told her about how Reverend Craig, who she later discovered was her father, had taken her in and abused her for years before she finally became desperate enough to run away one night when she was nine. It was a miracle she'd survived the freezing night on the moor to be found by Moira MacTaggert the next morning. Craig had been arrested and exposed as the monster he really was, but justice had come too late as it often does.

It took years to undo the damage he did to her; she was so shy and insecure and so utterly convinced she was worthless and evil when she first came to live with her, that Moira wondered if she'd ever be able to have a normal life. Reverend Craig had raised her to be extremely intolerant and judgmental and filled her head with all kinds of blasphemous lies. Reverend MacLaren, who'd come to replace Craig was horrified by what had happened to Rahne and he devoted himself to leading her back to Christ and teaching her the truth. With Moira's love and his guidance, she'd come to truly understand God's word and had left all the lies behind for the most part. Rahne was now a strong and dedicated Christian, who tried to love everyone, but she wouldn't compromise her beliefs to be accepted and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or her faith. Rahne had beaten her father; she could have become just like him, but she'd become better than him in every way.

"Let's go home." Rahne said as she dried her eyes and helped Tabitha to her feet.

'_I don't deserve a friend as good as you.'_ Tabitha thought as they walked back to the house. Rahne had been so frantic to find her she hadn't even stopped to put her shoes on. Tabitha felt horribly ashamed that she'd tried to run away from her problems and her family. Rahne was always looking out for her, but she'd just treated her cruelly and she didn't feel like she deserved Rahne's love and forgiveness. Still, Rahne always seemed to be able to speak to her with such wisdom and love that she felt better until she saw Sam coming to meet them. She'd hoped to get back before he knew what she'd done, but now he knew how thoughtless she'd been.

"I'm sorry Sam…..I'm so sorry…" Tabitha said as he took her in his arms and held her close. Rahne took Tabitha's backpack and left them to talk things over. "It's true…..I was a thief and I'm white-trash from a trailer park…."

"Yer're not and I don't ever want t' hear ya say that about yerself again." He said emphatically. "Listen, Ah know we've only been together a little while, but Ah can see how special ya really are. Anybody else would be bitter and selfish, but yer're always tryin to help th others and make 'em happy...even though yer're hurtin so bad inside." Sam said as they walked back toward the house. "Tabitha, Ah wanna be a part of yer life if you'll still have me, but ya don't have t' hide things like this from me...Ah love ya fer who ya are, Ah don't care what ya did or who ya used to be." Sam said. He knew she'd probably had to do a lot of things she wasn't proud of, but all that matter to him was the person she'd become. He'd never felt like this about anyone and he'd been through enough to know what love really was and what it really meant. He wasn't so naive as to think he was doing her any kind of favor and he damn sure wasn't attracted to her because he felt sorry for her and thought she needed protecting. He _did _want to protect her, that was just the kind of man he was, but he was attracted to her strength, her independence and her character, he just hoped she felt something_ real_ for him.

"You're sure about this? ...you don't really know me Sam..." Tabitha said, trying to control her emotions. She was so thankful to have found someone as kind, loving and patient as Sam, for a long time she didn't think men like him really existed and after what her father had said, she still couldn't quite believe he'd want anything to do with her. His family wasn't well off, but they were decent and hardworking; they had nothing in common with her awful, dysfunctional family of criminals and drunks.

"Ah know enough." he said emphatically as he reached over and took her hand. "Ah know Ah can't get ma mind off ya, Ah know Ah'm a better man when Ah'm around ya...and Ah know Ah felt th same way Ah did when ma dad died when Ah realized you were gone." he told her as he looked into her eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen and he could see how sad and beaten down she was, but there was still a spark of hope and defiance in them. Sam wished he could wipe away all the pain and misery of Tabitha's abusive childhood, but he knew that was impossible, all he could do was treat her with the respect and dignity she deserved and he was going to love her and stand by her no matter what she was going through.

"I love you Sam...and I promise there won't be anymore secrets between us." she said as he held her in his arms and the tears started to run down her cheeks again. "I'm not as good as you think I am." she whispered. "...I **_am_** selfish and..."

"Ah _know,_ yer're not perfect and it should be obvious by now that Ah'm not either." he said as he stopped her. "This is gonna be hard sometimes and a lotta work fer both of us, but yer're worth it." he said as he kissed her. They'd kissed before, but never like this and she knew how much he loved her and how much she loved him.

"You're worth it too." she told him as they continued to hold each other. Sam offered a silent prayer of thanks as he tried to comfort her, she loved him and he couldn't ask for more than the wisdom to be the man she needed him to be. He promised her he'd never yell at her, hit her, insult her or even be too busy to spend time with her as they committed to each other.

* * *

Thanks for reading chapter one!

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback you'd care to give and I'm certainly not afraid of legitimate criticism. I'm strongly considering continuing the story past chapter twenty-two and I'd like to know what people think so far.


	2. Chapter 2: The New Guy

**Chapter 2: The New Guy**

Holmes looked up from his revolting meal and checked his watch. _'Crap...' he thought, 'am I ever gonna get there?'_ He tossed a five dollar bill on the table and started toward the door of the truck stop. _'Talk about a "choke and puke"...'_ he thought to himself. _'I wouldn't have fed that mess to a dawg...New Jersey really is as disgusting as everyone says.'_ Later, as he was entering Salem Center N.Y. he pulled out his cell phone and called Xavier.

"Very good Mr. Holmes... Ms. Munro will meet you when you arrive." Xavier replied after Holmes told him where he was.

"Yes sir."

Ten minutes later he pulled into the institutes driveway and parked in front of the garage. He stepped out and stretched, it felt good to stop after two days of driving, sleeping in fleabag motels and eating garbage. He rubbed his hand across his chin as he studied his reflection in the truck window, _'damn I look like crap.'_ he thought, he hadn't shaved in two days and he thought he looked awful with a beard. _'Too late to do anything now'_ he thought, in light of what he was about to have to tell the professor, he had wanted to make as good an impression as possible. As he started toward the front door, Jamie stepped outside, he had just finished class with Hank and he needed a break. He immediately noticed the beat up truck in the driveway and the Alabama license plate.

'_One of Sam's redneck cousins?'_ he thought as he sat down on the steps and watched the stranger approach. This guy was only about 5'9", making him a good bit shorter than Sam and he was a lot more heavily built. He must have weighed about 200lbs and he had a powerful athletic build and really short, brown hair that stuck straight up, _'what in the heck has this guy been into?'_ Jamie thought as he approached. Holmes had a huge, gruesome looking scar on his right forearm and another one over his left eye. It was pretty obvious that it hadn't been an accident and Jamie had to admit, he was curious. _'Somebody must have cut him...'_

"Hey, I'm Jamie" he said, getting up and extending his hand as the new guy walked up.

"Names Holmes" he said, as he shook hands with the younger boy. Jamie wasn't really sure what to think about him, he seemed aloof and he didn't exactly talk much.

"Ah, Mr. Holmes, welcome to the Xavier Institute, I'm Ororo Munro, I'll be one of your instructors." she said as she opened the door. Jamie excused himself and went to find Roberto, who was already outside somewhere.

"Thank ya ma'am, I'm glad to finally be here." Holmes answered.

"Long drive?" she asked as he yawned and stretched again.

"Yes ma'am, It's a long way from Huntsville."

"Well, the professors expecting you, we had better not keep him waiting." She said turning back into the house.

"I understand you're a metamorph." she added as they ascended the stairs.

"I'm a werewolf..."

"We have another student with just such a gift." She said, as they arrived outside one of the sitting rooms in the institute where Xavier liked to meet with new students and their families, if they had any. Holmes immediately wanted to know more about this other werewolf, but Ororo ushered him in to see the professor before he could ask any questions.

"Welcome to the institute Mr. Holmes, I'm professor Charles Xavier and this is Dr. Henry McCoy...I believe you've met Ororo Munro." Xavier said as Holmes and Ororo entered the room.

"Yes sir, it's a pleasure to meet y'all."

Holmes sat and listened as Xavier explained the purpose of the institute, its rules and what would be expected of him. Holmes had answered all their questions satisfactorily. He had provided them with all the background history they requested as well. On the surface he seemed to be ideal material for the institute, but Xavier knew Holmes was reluctant to tell him something...he hoped he would do the right thing and be honest.

"Sir, there's something I need to tell ya." Holmes said as he took a deep breath, it didn't take a telepath to see how difficult this was for him. "About six months ago...I killed a thief." Xavier was well aware of this fact, he followed the news reports closely, but this was a test of Holmes' character and he wanted to hear his version of the events.

"Michael, I'm well aware of that fact, but I want you to tell me your side of the story." he said sternly.

"It was late" Holmes began "Ma family and I had just come home and we didn't know there was a meth freak in th house lookin fer money ...he came in through a back window." "He heard us coming and tried to hide, but I smelled him when we all walked into th living room and I hollered at th others to run, but he shot me as soon as I said it and then he started wavin the gun around and threatenin ma parents and sister...he was still high." "Fortunately, he didn't aim real well and ma regenerative abilities kept me from passing out or goin into shock...I remember lying there and hearin him say he was gonna kill all of 'em like he did me...thats when I got angry and the wolf got away from me." "I guess he heard me, cause he turned around, screamed and aimed fer ma head...I nearly tore him in half." Xavier could sense that Holmes was telling the truth and that he was deeply troubled by what he had been forced to do.

"Mr. Holmes, my opinion has not changed...as far as I'm concerned what you did was justified..." Xavier told him.

"Thats what th police said" he answered. "Th guys family tried to have me locked up, b'cause I used ma powers on him, but th judge threw th case out."

"How did your family react to all this?" Xavier asked.

"They already knew I was a mutant...it never mattered to 'em...they stood by me durin all this too." He answered. "They didn't want me to leave, but I was afraid somebody might try to hurt them if I stayed around...it's not safe to have a known mutant in th family these days."

"This his incident is bothering you more than you're willing to admit...I think thats where you and I will need to do the most work." Xavier told him.

"You want me to stay!?" Holmes asked, surprised.

"Yes, I've dedicated my life to helping mutants learn to use their powers to benefit humanity, and I want to help you." Xavier answered.

"I think ya know I came here fer more than an education." Holmes said bluntly.

"Given time, I think you'll be an asset to the X-men." he added.

"Thank ya fer giving me a chance, ever since I heard about this place I wanted to come here...so I could help make a difference like th others have." Holmes answered.

"You'll get your chance ...now follow me, I need to get you a retinal scan and voice authentication for the security system and fit you for a uniform." Holmes followed Xavier and Hank to the Cerebro room, Hank took a blood sample and ran it through the computer as he prepared to run a few scans on him.

"There's a beast inside me that I had to learn to control, I know exactly what you're going through and I'll help you anyway I can." Hank said as Holmes lay down on the table and the test began. _'Looks like theres a beast all over you...'_Holmes thought.

"Thanks...its hard sometimes, I get angry and I just go crazy..." he answered. After a few minutes, the tests were complete, Hank and Xavier began to discuss the results with him.

"Michael, the lycanthrope power is a form of the metamorph ability...mutants like you are very rare...we only have extensive files on two others with the metamorph ability, although there are more of you out there."

"You really are quite different from Rahne, bigger, stronger, faster and your healing factor is a lot more powerful." Ororo said as she looked over the results. "Unfortunately you appear to be a lot more savage when you're transformed...who would have thought there would be so much difference between the sexes." she added.

"It's the testosterone" Xavier explained. "It goes off the scale when he transforms...thats why he's so aggressive and why he has such trouble controlling himself when he gets angry...his levels are higher than a bull shark's and that was the highest in the world." he added.

"So...Rahne is still around here right?" Holmes asked; his interest peaked.

"Yes" Hank said as they stepped back out into Xavier's office "here she is" he said pointing to her in the group portrait hanging behind Xavier's desk. "She tends to be shy around strangers...it's probably the wolf in her, so don't be surprised if she seems a little hesitant at first."

"I can relate to that Dr. McCoy...it's definitely the wolf in her, she's not that shy, just protective of her "pack," her friends I mean. It was hard fer me to leave ma family and come up here, but I knew I had too."

"Fascinating...but you can call me Beast, no need to be formal with me."

"A'ight Doc" he said

'_A'igth?'_ thought Hank._'He's as bad as Sam and Rogue put together.'_ He was from Illinois and had never met anyone from the south until he came to teach at the institute. He was still having trouble with understanding some of the things they said to him, but he realized the difficulty wasn't one sided.

"Hank, Logan is back now and I want him to test Matt's skill in the danger room." Xavier interrupted. "If you will be good enough to take him down there, Ororo and I will round up Piotr and Roberto to give him some practice if he's up to it."

"Boss, can ya'll do me a favor?" Holmes asked. "Just call me Holmes, a'ight?"

"Certainly, if thats what you'd like." He replied.

"I've just gotten used to it is all...I'm named after ma dad, he goes by Matt, so I went by ma middle name, Mike, till there got to be four of us in th' same class and th' teachers started calling us by our lasts names to keep everything straight. Pretty soon everybody in class was doin it too...it just stuck." He explained.

"I never thought we'd find another like Rahne." Ororo said after Hank and Holmes had left.

"Mutant powers aren't necessarily unique to the individual." Xavier reminded her. "I recently became aware of a young woman in England with the same powers as Jean...and I'm sure you haven't forgotten our encounter with Death-Strike." Ororo nodded, he was right...mutant powers weren't always unique, although there was usually some variation. Take Amara and John for example...they were both pyrokinetic, but Amara could create fire, whereas John could only control it. Siblings had a much greater chance of developing the same power, as was the case with Scott and Alex, but even that wasn't a sure thing, as Pietro and Wanda demonstrated.

"There's something very odd about both of them" Xavier mused. "Before I met Rahne, I was unable to locate her with Cerebro...the same is true with Holmes...it seems that as far as the lycanthrope mutation is concerned, I have to know who I'm looking for." "I think it must have something to do with the mild psychic resistance they both share."

"Psychic resistance?" Ororo asked.

"Yes...certain individuals have a natural immunity to my powers...sometimes it just makes it more difficult to read their thoughts, in rare cases it makes it impossible...both Holmes and Rahne have such an immunity...Rahne's is very weak, but Holmes' is stronger, although it presents no obstacle to me, or even to Jean for that matter."

"Is it possible then, that there are a lot more of them out there?" Ororo asked. "Many different cultures from all over the world have myths about werewolves going back thousands of years."

"It's possible, but I think its unlikely...given the uproar that Rahne and Holmes have caused...I don't see how there could be many that go unnoticed in this day and time." Xavier said. "Still, you bring up and excellent point... Holmes appearance does seem to suggest that there might be some truth to werewolf mythology...we could be looking at the descendants of some of the worlds first mutants...werewolves may be even older than Apocalypse." "But of course this is pure speculation at this point." He added


	3. Chapter 3: DireWulf

**Chapter 3: DireWulf**

Hank took Holmes down to the locker room and got him a uniform to train in, as he was getting dressed Hank explained the danger room to him. Holmes seemed a bit preoccupied though. "A'ight Doc I get th idea...I'm gonna get torn apart by robots and then that walking supernova is gonna rip me an new one.. right?"

"No, Roberto is really quite friendly."

"That does wonders fer ma confidence...really..." he muttered. "Hey Doc, that Rahne girl, how old is she?"

"Sixteen...why?" asked Hank, his curiosity aroused.

"Just wonderin..."

"Where's she from?"

"Scotland...Holmes, don't you think you should be focusing on your training?" Hank asked. "This is serious."

"I am focused Doc." Holmes muttered.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" asked Hank.

"Can ya blame me?"

"Well as far as you; or any other male in this house with similar ideas is concerned, I'm her dad...so you better be on your best behavior." Hank said in a friendly, yet forceful manner.

"I'll bear that in mind." Holmes said dryly.

'_You better,'_ thought Hank, he had always had a special affection for the little Scottish girl, Rahne had always been his best student out of all the New Mutants and she had always come to him for advice...so he was naturally protective. He was starting to like Holmes, he seemed like a nice enough fellow...but he definitely had issues, and Hank had to agree with Xavier when he told him he needed help dealing with them.

"Come on, I'll let you in the danger room." Hank said as he turned to leave the locker room.

"Please tell me I don't have to keep this uniform." Holmes groaned as he walked by the mirror. _'Navy blue uniforms with yellow boots and gloves? Whoever came up with these things ought to be shot.'_ he thought to himself.

"Oh come on Holmes, all the New Mutants wear these." Hank said.

"I'm not goin outside in this." Holmes said emphatically. Hank laughed at him as he opened the door to the Danger Room. A rough looking man who smelled like beer stood in the middle of the room, directly under the light.

"All right bub, we're gonna give ya the standard strength and agility test while yer in human form, then have ya transform for us. Ya got that?!"

"Yes sir.."

Don't sir me, damn it." Logan growled.

Holmes surprised everyone on the strength test, his max on the bench was 395lbs...fairly impressive since he only weighed 195lbs; overall he was in excellent physical shape. "All right, not bad...but before we go any further I'm gonna ask you one more time, are you sure this is what you want to do? ..This is no joke kid, you could get killed out there."

"Look, don't think I haven't thought this through...I'm sure." Holmes answered.

"Ok new guy, time to get your cherry popped." Logan said as several robot drones and energy cannons deployed around Holmes. Logan backed out of the way to enjoy watching the new guy get blasted.

"Shit!" Holmes yelled as they opened fire. Holmes ran and dodged out of the line of fire only to be attacked by a robot drone, he ducked and rolled out of the way as several more appeared. Holmes was incredibly alert and he was quick on his feet, his years of practice in the martial arts served him well as held off the drones, but eventually he got stunned by one of the cannons, Logan walked over to where he had collapsed in a heap.

"Not bad kid, you might have potential..."

Holmes got up, still a little dazed by the jolt "I been taking Karate fer ten years….I can fight."

"Hmpf" snorted Logan as he grabbed Holmes' arm and attempted to throw him. Holmes landed on his feet, caught Logan's hand and threw him instead. Logan whirled in the air, kicked off from the wall and kicked Holmes in the chest, sending him flying. Holmes hadn't expected that, but he leaped back to his feet and attacked, he managed to land a good blow before Logan nailed him in a pressure point.

"Awww...damn it to hell...mutha..." Holmes trailed off and didn't finish, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Don't feel bad, I might actually break a sweat fightin ya, bub." Logan said as he wiped the blood off his busted lip. Holmes wasn't much of a challenge for Logan now, but with more training he might eventually be very dangerous.

"Now let's see those powers of yours."

"GRAARRR!" Holmes snarled, as fur, fangs and claws began to grow, his body began to grow considerably and his face elongated into a wolf's snout. In a few moments he was a 6'6" slobbering werewolf, with a huge mane of grey fur that sprang up from the back of his neck and shoulders. His uniform was hanging in tatters although his pants were still more or less intact, _'thank heaven'_ thought Hank, _'the rest of him might intimidate all of us...'_ Hank knew he would have to call Forge to help him design another uniform that could accommodate metamorph abilities...he just hoped Forge was feeling up to it.

"Hey Chuck! When did they start puttin this new model of mutt out?" He asked referring to Holmes hulking appearance.

He was a lot bigger than Rahne when she transformed, well over 500lbs and incredibly muscular. He would prove to be a terrifying opponent, armed with vicious razor-edge claws and canines as well as a long snout and pointed ears; his senses were incredibly acute, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain a stealth advantage on him. While he was transformed, Holmes walked on his toes due to his elongated foot bones, just like a normal wolf, and while this gave him a somewhat clumsy appearance, he would prove to be quite agile.

"His mutation is the same as Rahne's...it's just more advanced." Xavier answered.

"Just be careful...his hormones are out of control, so he's hyper-aggressive." Hank added.

The simulation began, and the werewolf leaped out of the way as several of the lasers opened fire on him. He ripped one of the drones apart and threw part of it at the guns as he continued to battle the drones and mechanical tentacles. He was very quick to be as big and heavy as he was, Logan had to admit he was impressed with the creature's performance. He was overly aggressive and very destructive but Holmes seemed to maintain control of the himself through the entire test.

"Logan, I'm going to send Roberto down to spar with him if you think its all right, we're still having trouble with the holographic equipment after that last session with you and Piotr." Hank said over the microphone.

"Yeah, I think this fur-ball can behave himself." Logan said as he gave a rude gesture to Hank. _'Should have built the damn thing better...' _Logan thought.

About a minute later Roberto walked in and began to glow as he absorbed energy from the solar lamps while he sized up his opponent. He was the obvious choice to spar with Holmes, he was invulnerable to most physical attacks; he could fly and emit devastating energy blasts. Holmes possessed low-level superhuman strength and no ranged attacks; if he could survive against Roberto, he _might_ have a chance in a real battle.

Xavier was concerned about the change in his demeanor now that Holmes had transformed into his werewolf form. When he was human he was in complete control of his physical and emotional state due to his years of training in the martial arts. However, his instincts were beginning to get the better of him now and he was eager to establish himself as the alpha male. Xavier knew from working with Rahne how hard it was for them to control such instincts and he began to question his choice of opponents for Holmes. Roberto was a nice guy and a loyal teammate, but like Holmes, he had a bit of an ego as well and he wouldn't always back down from a fight.

Roberto was proud that Xavier was trusting him with this responsibility and he wanted to do the best job he could to help train the new guy….even if he did seem way too eager to prove himself. What he didn't know is that Holmes idolized his father and was trying to live up to his legacy as a hero. He always felt he was never good enough and even though his father constantly told him he was proud of him, Holmes never quite believed it. He'd never give in to those feelings in human form, but in wolf form, he had to assert himself as the alpha dog.

"Hey Mike, this is just training, I'm not gonna go full power on you ok."Roberto said.

"I don't need you to go easy on me." Holmes said.

"Look…..I'm not trying to sound arrogant, but you're outta your league with me….I'm class 50 strength."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Holmes growled. Roberto rolled his eyes; Holmes seemed cocky and overconfident, just as he'd been when he'd arrived. He was going to have to learn his limits the hard way. _'Sorry, but this is for your own good.'_ He thought.

"You will be." Roberto said firmly.

'_Don't antagonize him Roberto…..he's not himself when he's like that.'_ Xavier warned him telepathically.

'_I'm not trying to sir, but this wolf needs to learn its limits.'_ Roberto replied.

"Be careful." Piotr said as he walked into the Danger Room and eyed Holmes warily. This one enjoyed fighting as much as he did, he could tell by the look in his eyes.

"I got this Piotr….I don't need a babysitter." Roberto said sarcastically.

"You gonna fight or talk?!" Holmes snarled.

"Get some…" Roberto said as he turned to face him.

"You two behave yourselves!" Hank snapped from his perch in the control room. "This is training, not a death match! No unnecessary roughness!" he warned. Holmes really was different when he was in wolf form and Hank began to worry about his attraction to Rahne. He knew she'd been abused by her father and he didn't want her to experience anymore pain. Obviously, Holmes would never lay a hand on her or any woman, but this wolf was an angry creature, far more dangerous than Rahne had been when she'd arrived.

"Go!" Logan yelled as he and Piotr stood and watched. The werewolf snarled and lunged at Roberto who jumped over him

"Too slow!" he yelled at the werewolf. Holmes was not amused; he whirled around and charged, leaping and catching Roberto before he could react. Roberto was shocked, he'd just seen him fight, but he seemed to be getting stronger and faster the angrier he got.

"Whats up now smart-ass?" Holmes growled as he landed and pinned him to the ground.

"You tell me flea-bag!" Roberto snapped as he heaved Holmes off of him and stood up. Holmes was stunned, he'd never been swatted away like a fly before and Roberto didn't have a mark on him. He unleashed an energy blast at him which Holmes only narrowly avoided. It wasn't powerful enough to seriously hurt him, but it singed his fur and made him think twice about coming in on Roberto again.

"What are you gonna do Holmes? Run away all day?" Piotr taunted as Roberto blasted away at him and he ducked and dodged. He looked like he was done for, but Logan could see what he was planning. He been moving closer to the downed drones and in an instant he'd snatched one up in his paws and hurled it into the solar lamps, plunging the room into almost total darkness. Logan couldn't help but smile as he watched Holmes plow into Roberto and knock him halfway across the room. He and the wolf were the only ones who could see in the dim light and Holmes was back on Roberto in an instant, pummeling him. Logan had trained Roberto well and he knew he'd figure a way out of this mess, so he didn't intervene.

"Get off!" Roberto yelled as he grabbed him and threw him into the wall. _'Damn that hurt!'_ he thought as he flew up and hid among the pipes and equipment near the ceiling. Hank got the emergency lights up and running and Roberto dived out after Holmes, who snatched a panel off the wall and smashed him with it.

"That's just dirty…" Roberto scoffed as he shook off the blow and he and Holmes tied up and tore the place apart in a super powered brawl for the ages. They were getting completely out of hand and destroying the equipment, much to Hank and Xavier's dismay.

"Stop that! We're here to learn!" Hank yelled. "Logan do something! What do we pay you for!?" He roared. Logan really didn't see what the problem was, Roberto was holding back and even though he was outclassed, Holmes wouldn't give up and kept trying to find a way to win. Still, there was only so much abuse Holmes could take and it was probably best this ended now before…..

"ARRRRRGGGHHHH!" Holmes roared as he tried to block a punch and ended up with a broken arm.

"Oh shit!" Roberto exclaimed. "Mike….I'm sorry…." He stammered. Holmes gave him a savage look and cut loose with a blood chilling howl as he started toward him again. There just wasn't any quit in him, but this wasn't the time or the place and Logan intervened.

"That's enough Mike! You proved how big yer balls are, now take a knee!" He ordered. He and Logan stared each other down for a moment before Holmes shifted to his transitional form, halfway between man and full-blown werewolf and dropped to one knee, holding his broken arm.

"You should both be ashamed of yourselves!" Hank fumed as he entered the Danger Room to treat Holmes' injury. "You're both on probation! You're lucky we don't expel students!" He ranted as Logan and Piotr both rolled their eyes.

"Henry, I seem to remember you and Shiro engaging in a similar shameful exhibition of testosterone some years earlier." Xavier said as he joined them.

"Yes…..well….that was different, there was a girl involved." Hank said, blushing under his blue fur.

"Give it a rest Beast." Logan said. "Boys will be boys."

"They're not just boys….they're super humans…" Hank said as he examined Holmes. He had to admit he was impressed that he didn't scream when he set the bones in his arm; he'd seen grown men cry like babies from the pain.

"You gonna make it rook?" Logan asked.

"I've had worse and I heal quick." he said as Hank strapped on a splint.

"Then I'll see ya tomorrow for training." Logan said, as he turned to leave. _'What th hell have I got maself into?!' _Holmes thought as he watched him go. _'I been here two hours and I'm already takin it in th ass...'_

"I think he likes you." said Piotr slapping Holmes on the back "I'm Piotr Rasputin, velcome to the X-men."

"Ya mind if I call ya Pete?"

"Niet." Piotr said as Holmes returned to human form and he helped him to his feet.

"Hey…..I really am sorry…." Roberto said sheepishly, trying to make amends.

"I asked fer it." Holmes told him. "That thing just goes crazy sometimes…."

"You weren't bad Mike….its been a while since somebody beat me up like that." Roberto admitted.

"Yeah, but you were right….I was _**way**_ outta ma league…" he sighed, fearing he'd blown his chance.

"That's the point." Roberto told him. "It's supposed to be a "no win" situation to see if you'll quit…..you didn't and you passed." He said. "There is big difference in losing and being beaten." He added.

"You think I was only being polite when I say welcome to X-Men?" Piotr asked him. "Stop being so hard on yourself….everyone screw up first day in Danger Room…I smash whole place and Beast hate me for whole month."

"Roberto…I'm disappointed, you never should have let it go so far." Xavier said sternly.

"Sir, it's ma fault…." Holmes said, trying to take responsibility.

"No, he's right….we were having a pissing contest." Roberto admitted.

"Yes, well….I'm glad to see you two acting your age now, but you both have cleaning duty until further notice." He said. Holmes felt terrible that he'd gotten Roberto in trouble, but his new friend didn't care. He'd been on probation many times before and while he wasn't crazy about the wolf, he was starting to like Holmes and respect his determination.

"Come on, I'll help you move in." Roberto told him. He could already tell that Holmes wasn't one to ask for help, although he clearly needed it...he didn't heal nearly as fast as Logan and he was obviously still in pain despite the sedative and splint Hank had give him. Piotr joined them as they started to leave.

"Wait…." Hank said as he stopped them. "I admit, I was a little harsh with you, but it's because I care about all of you." He said. "I know you're eager to prove yourself Mike…..but you're time will come, be patient." He said. "Roberto….it takes a bigger man to end a fight than to continue one…..remember that." He said.

"We must name new guy." Piotr reminded them.

"Have you thought about a codename?" asked Hank. "It's become a tradition around here."

"Hadn't really thought about it...I've always been "freak" or "monster" up until now...ya have any suggestions?" Holmes said, with a touch of sarcasm.

"I think DireWulf suits you rather well" Hank replied


	4. Chapter 4: Unforgiven

**Chapter 4: Unforgiven**

While Piotr and Roberto were helping Holmes unpack, the rest of the X-men came home from school and Xavier called them to his office.

"How was school everyone?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"It sucked." Rogue muttered. The others laughed, Xavier rolled his eyes... _'such language'_ he thought.

"Well…..as I'm sure you're aware, we have a new student with us today...I believe he's still getting unpacked, so I'll tell you a little about him myself."

"His name is Matthew Michael Holmes, but he'd prefer you just call him "Holmes" ...He's eighteen and he's from Huntsville, Alabama.

"He's a specific metamorph; actually he's a werewolf like you, Rahne." "But his powers are fully evolved, so he's stronger and he looks a bit different from you when he's transformed."

"However, I need to warn all of you that the rapid onset his powers have caused a hormonal imbalance, so please, try not to make him angry." He added.

"There's still a lot we have to learn about him, but you can see his profile here." he said showing them Holmes image and Bio information on Cerebro's monitor. Everyone crowded close to get their first look at the newest addition to the family.

"Is he cute?" Amara asked, she was standing in the back of the group and was too short to see.

"Kinda, but his hairs too short." Kitty answered. Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Aw man, what happened to his face?" Jubilee asked, staring at the scar over his eye.

"Don't ya know better than t' ask questions like that?" Rogue scolded. "It was probably an accident..."

"That doesn't look like an accident." Bobby said.

"Let's stay focused people..." Scott interrupted. He'd been watching the recording and Holmes and Roberto's rivalry had begun to escalate. What he saw concerned him, a short temper and super-human strength were a dangerous combination...and he was looking a two perfect examples.

The room suddenly became quiet as everyone watched the recording of Holmes and Roberto's battle. Neither Holmes nor Roberto impressed anyone with their shameful display, but Roberto was one of their own and no one liked and arrogant new guy so Holmes didn't make a very good first impression on most of them.

"As you can see, he has some work to do, like everyone else here...I might add." Xavier said. "So I expect you to give him the same welcome you were all given the day you arrived."

'_Holmes, are you ready to meet the others?'_ Holmes jumped; he wasn't used to the professor's telepathy.

'_Yes sir, I'm ready, I'll be there in a minute.'_

'_Excellent.'_

* * *

Soon Holmes was in the professor's office greeting his new teammates, most of whom didn't quite know what to think after watching the tape. Sure, he seemed like a nice guy now, but there was definitely a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to his personality. Tabitha was really the only one who spent any time trying to get to know him that night, probably because she knew what it was like to be the victim of a hasty judgment. The others were polite, but Holmes knew they must have their doubts about him and he couldn't really blame them. Still, he was grateful for Tabitha's willingness to give him a chance. Although he had befriended her roommate, he didn't make much progress with Rahne that night, he knew it would take her awhile to trust him since she was very protective of her home and "pack". He also became acquainted with Kurt over a game on the institute's X-Box 360. It was easy to be friends with Kurt and Tabby, they had personalities that forced themselves on you, but Holmes kept most of the others at arms length that night. True, Piotr had accepted him as well, but he seemed to have issues of his own and he kept to himself most of the time. Roberto tried to smooth things over for him and it helped, but there was no denying the wolf was dangerous if it got away from Holmes.

Holmes always had trouble making friends even before he was a mutant, and once he manifested, he had taken great care to hide his mutation from the world and this made him reluctant to trust others for fear they might find out his secret. Once he was finally exposed, people had been absolutely horrified; after all, he was something right out of humanities worst nightmares. Now, among fellow mutants, it was a new fear that drove him to isolate himself. He seriously doubted that the other X-men would be as understanding as the instructors; if the students knew he had killed a man they would probably be scared of him. He knew he was justified in taking his life, after all it was human instinct to protect yourself and your family, but he still couldn't shake the idea that he could have done something different. Yet no matter how many times he went over the events in his mind he couldn't see any way around killing the thief. Holmes' father had served in the Army and his uncle was a police officer; after the event they had tried to ease his mind by telling him that he had done what was necessary to protect the family and that deadly force was the only option in such a situation. Holmes knew they were right, but there were still some nights when he'd wake up covered in sweat and convinced he was going straight to hell.

Kurt saw that Holmes was intentionally keeping his distance from the others; he hoped he could help him trust them more. Despite his altercation with Roberto, he seemed like a nice guy and it was a shame he had trouble making friends. _'He just needs time' _Kurt thought as he got into bed that night... _'It's always a little scary to be the new guy...especially when you come into a group that's as close as ours.' _

"Arooooooo!" Kurt shot out of bed and stuck to the ceiling. _'Mein Gott,'_ he thought, _'that howl could split ze foundation'_

"Sorry y'all, couldn't help maself!" Holmes yelled from out in the hallway. Kurt looked out the window _'...the moon,' _he thought ...great...it had taken Rahne four months to get that out of her system when she moved in, and he knew they didn't just howl at the moon either.

* * *

"It was nae me." Rahne said innocently as Tabitha emerged from the bathroom, looking pissed.

"I nearly choked to death on mouthwash..." she muttered. "So what do you think about that guy anyway?" she asked after a moment.

"Its really tae early tae tell..." Rahne answered.

"I like him... he's got balls to try to keep fighting with a broken arm like he did..." Tabitha said. "Kinda hot too..." she added.

"Yea, I dinnae know why Jubilee was making such a fuss about tha scar over his eye..."

"You think he's hot, just admit it..." Tabitha teased.

"Och! Is that wha this is about?! Tabby, I already told ye I like someone, why are ye trying tae set me up with a guy I dinnae even know?!"

"Because if it's who I think it is, you're wasting your time, he's gay."

"Tabitha!"

"Ok, ok..." Tabitha said as she reached into her drawer and took out her pack of cigarettes.

"Tabby...please don't, it hurts muh nose." Rahne pleaded. Tabitha considered her for a moment and then shook her head, cursed and tossed the pack out the window. She knew the smell made Rahne sick and she'd almost gotten caught by Logan...it just wasn't worth punishment sessions in the danger room, or a miserable friend.

"Fine, I need to quit anyway...the badger's training sessions are killing me..." she muttered.

"Thank ye."

"Buy me some Nicoderm and we'll call it even." Tabitha said.

* * *

Xavier enrolled Holmes in school the next day and he managed to keep a pretty low profile, most people didn't really notice him and those who did weren't sure if he was a mutant or not. They saw him eating with the institute kids, but he was new, he might not know any better. He had a presence that seemed to say "go away," and that was exactly the image Holmes wanted to project, this place reminded him of his old school, full of stuck-up preppies that would stab you in the back the first chance they got to make themselves look cool to the others. He had been at odds with them all through senior high, he wasn't about to sacrifice his values just so they would accept him. He'd never been popular and he didn't care what they thought, or if they chose to include him. He had learned a long time ago that what you don't do can also define who you are. Holmes got through Friday without incident at school and took his private training session with Logan that evening; Logan put him through hell; after yesterday's incident, it was obvious that Holmes was going to need a lot of work and he wanted to see just how serious he was about his training. By the time they were finished, Holmes hurt in places he didn't know he had and Logan had his answer...Holmes didn't bitch and he didn't quit, he was dead serious about being one of the X-Men.

On Saturday, Hank finally had the danger room up and running again and they decided to test Holmes full strength in battle. Holmes had thought the danger room was impressive the first time he was there, but it was unbelievable now, everything looked, and felt so real. The other X-men watched as he took on the Brotherhood in one-on-one matches, he beat Todd and Lance easily, but Freddy put up quite a struggle before he went down, he was much stronger than the wolf man and Holmes claws were useless against him. Fortunately, Xavier had chosen a construction site for the battlefield in this test and Holmes managed to throw Blob in a hole and bury him up to his neck in concrete. His battle with Pyro ended in a fiery defeat and it was no surprise that he couldn't beat Wanda, or catch Pietro, none of them could on their own. It was also no great surprise that he lasted all of two seconds versus Magneto, Exodus and Sabertooth. Mystique surprised him at first by turning into a bear, but Holmes feared neither man nor beast when he was transformed and Mystique just wasn't strong enough to beat him in a brawl, although her skill with gun more than evened the field and the match ended in a draw as she escaped. Holmes strength and agility were devastating in battle, but he lacked patience and acted out of anger far too often, which got him into trouble when he faced the sentinel. _'He'll learn...' _Xavier thought as he watched Hank and Logan cut Holmes out of the green stasis goo that the sentinel had trapped him in.


	5. Chapter 5: Freak

**Chapter 5: Freak**

Tabitha and Rahne had gone down to the institute's gym for a workout after watching Holmes fight the Brotherhood and the sentinel. Now they were back in their room, Tabitha was wrapped in a towel after her shower, getting some clothes out of her closet and off the floor, as Rahne was getting in the shower.

"Rahne!" she yelled, as she heard the water come on "have you seen my silver ring?"

"Could ye possibly be less specific?" Rahne joked

"Rahne, don't be a brat..." she said, pulling on her pants. She suddenly remembered she'd left it in the shower. Rahne heard the door open, but assumed Tabitha was looking for her hair brush or something; the next thing she knew Tabitha had pulled the curtain back in full view of Amara who shared the bathroom with them and was half way in the shower taking her ring out of the shampoo rack.

"Really?!" Rahne yelled. Tabitha was completely uninhibited and didn't give a second thought to being naked in front of Rahne, but her friend was a little more self-conscious.

"What are you embarrassed about?" Amara giggled as she ducked under the wash cloth Rahne threw at them. "I wish I had boobs like yours."

"Yuirs are big enough already." Rahne answered. "Ye should try cramming these in tae body armor sometime, then ye wouldn't think they were so great." She said as she snatched the curtain back into place.

"Poor baby...so hard being beautiful." Tabitha teased as she started drying her hair. Rahne rolled her eyes and reached for the soap; she loved Tabitha even if she could be a handful sometimes.

* * *

"Hey, there's a bunch of us going out tonight...we're gonna show Holmes around town and then go hang out for a while...you coming?" Tabitha asked as Rahne came back in the room after her shower.

"Yea, I'd like tha." she replied.

"Hey, why don't you go ask Alex to come?" Tabitha said.

"I dinnae know..." Rahne muttered, aware she was blushing.

"Oh come on! I know you like him...go ask him." Tabitha persisted.

"I _do_ like him..." Rahne finally admitted, "but I was hoping he'd ask me out...not th other way 'round..."

"You're going to have to...I'm telling you, that boy must be gay...he has to have noticed that you're interested by now."

"Is it tha obvious?" Rahne asked.

"Yeah, and you might as well go talk to him and get an answer one way or the other." Tabitha said. Rahne never seemed to have too much trouble speaking her mind anymore and she shouldn't have any trouble asking a guy out.

"Ok, I'll go talk tae him..." Rahne said, as she walked out the door and headed for he and Scott's room, she felt a little awkward, but she knew Tabitha was right. Truth be told, Alex knew Rahne liked him, but he didn't share her affections. He was still having trouble accepting the fact that he was a mutant; he hadn't exactly planned on staying at the institute and he was really having trouble dealing with all the anti-mutant sentiment at school. He wasn't comfortable with his own powers yet, let alone hers...he thought there was something unnatural and disgusting about the way she turned into a werewolf and he couldn't imagine a physical relationship with her.

Alex had been avoiding the issue, but now he had to tell her how he felt... he was really uncomfortable with this whole situation and aggravated that she had forced him into it. "Rahne, I'm sorry, but I just don't feel that way about you..."

"Its because I'm a werewolf...isn't it?" she asked, obviously disappointed.

"Yeah..." he admitted. _'Damn it...why can't one of the "normal" girls here be interested in me...why does it have to be her, why couldn't she be attracted to another freak like Kurt, or Holmes...hell, he's perfect for her.' _He thought.

"But...its who I am..."

"Listen Rahne, I'm not like the others...I don't like being a mutant! I hate my _**own**_ powers! I don't want to have to deal with yours too!"

He stopped when he saw the look on her face and he wished he'd kept his big mouth shut, he had been totally out of line talking to her that way. Rahne didn't say a word, she just turned and walked back to her room. She'd seen that look in his eyes too many times before when she had been in Scotland. All her life people had either been afraid of her or disgusted by her because of her "gift" and this last insult seemed to confirm everything Reverend Craig had told her, she really was a monster, totally undeserving of any love or kindness.

Tabitha looked up from her magazine when she heard Rahne come in. "Rahne, what happened?" she exclaimed. Rahne tried to act like nothing was wrong, but as she sat down on the side of her bed, she started to cry. Tabitha had only seen Rahne cry once before... _'this must be bad' _she thought.

"He's disgusted by muh powers...he thinks I'm a freak..." she sniffed. Tabitha couldn't believe it, how could he say something like that to her? She'd just been teasing earlier, she'd had no idea things would turn out this way. She felt awful for Rahne, her situation in Scotland hadn't allowed her much contact with the opposite sex and most of the guys at the institute were either already taken, or just not Rahne's type.

"Rahne...you're not a freak..."

"I am!" she interrupted "I turn in tae an animal Tabby!" she sobbed.

"It doesn't matter..." Tabitha said as she hugged Rahne and tried to comfort her.

"It does...n'body will ever want me..."

"Rahne, you're overreacting...I can't say I blame you, but think about this...Kurt's always been ashamed of the way he looks, but it never mattered to me...or Amanda...there's somebody special for you too." Tabitha said.

"Thank ye Tabby...I'm sorry, I dinnae mean tae be acting so badly." Rahne whispered as she dried her eyes; she was embarrassed that she had let this make her cry...she really wanted a relationship, but she had enough self respect not to let her peace of mind depend on it. After she finally got Rahne to stop crying, Tabitha left her with Amara before she went looking for Alex.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Tabitha asked as she kicked open his door. "Do you have any idea how embarrassed she is?" Alex looked away and said nothing.

"You asshole! She liked you and you ripped her heart out!" "You didn't have to make her feel like a freak because of her power...Damn it! Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!" she yelled, annoyed by his silence.

"I don't have to explain myself to you Tabitha! I didn't mean to hurt her...it just came out wrong!" He yelled, as the full realization of what he had done finally hit him...why had he taken his feelings out on her?! She had genuinely been interested in him and he'd treated her like a leper.

"You better be careful who you call a freak! If there's a freak around here it's you!" she yelled as she tossed one of her bombs under his bed. Alex jumped up as his bed exploded, sending the room into total disarray, mattress stuffing was everywhere.

"When she manifested everybody told her she was an ugly monster, people she'd known and trusted her whole life turned on her and treated her like an animal. Now you go and do the same thing in the only place any of us can feel normal. If you hate it here so much then leave." Tabitha said as she turned and walked away. Holmes stood in his doorway and watched her go, his hearing was more sensitive than a normal humans because of his power and he couldn't help but hear the whole argument. He knew how Rahne felt, his parents had been shocked the first time they saw him turn into a werewolf, they quickly recovered and reassured him that they loved him no matter what, but he could never forget that look on their faces; this power wasn't easy to accept or understand and he was thankful he had such a loving family. The more he thought about what he had heard Tabitha say to Alex, the worse he felt for Rahne... _'well her family might not be here for her, but she has another family here at th institute that will help her feel better about all this'_ he thought. He knew she still wasn't comfortable with him yet and that she would only want to talk to her closest friends about what had happened, but he still wanted to remind her she wasn't alone. He morphed to werewolf form, walked out to the cliff overlooking the lake and began to howl.

* * *

It didn't take Xavier long to find out what had happened, he was very angry with Alex and immediately called him to his office; Alex had every right to go out with whoever he wanted, but to shun another student because of their appearance was inexcusable. He put him on probation and made him apologize to the entire group for his insensitive attitude, Alex handled it remarkably well and it was obvious he was sorry for what he had said, but that didn't stop the others from being angry with him, especially Scott, although he quickly forgave him. Even though Xavier understood why Tabitha had gotten so angry, he still put her on probation for a week for blowing up Scott and Alex's room.

On Sunday, Holmes had driven some of the church goers at the institute to the service, Tabitha came along on this trip, although Holmes wasn't sure if it was out of genuine interest in the service, or out of friendship for Rahne who was still upset. Holmes felt bad for both of them, Rahne for obvious reasons, and Tabitha because she fidgeted and looked uncomfortable through most of the service. Holmes scooted over between her and Scott and tried to help her out by answering some of her questions, he wanted to see her back there next Sunday. This was one of the few places in town where the kids weren't shunned, sure there were some people who didn't want them there, but the Church as a whole accepted them. He wanted Tabitha to see that even though there were cults and fools like Reverend Craig out there; God loved mutants too and that real Christians understood that.

* * *

**Hey folks, love this story or hate it, I'd like to hear your opinion.**

**Thanks, for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6: Renegades, Rebels and Rogues

**Chapter 6: Renegades, Rebels and Rogues**

The next day at school, Holmes found that he couldn't keep his eyes off Rahne during lunch; this was the first time he had been close to her for more than a few minutes. _'She's gorgeous...' _he thought as he admired her, _'Alex is a dumbass...'_ he thought. Holmes had always been attracted to redheads and he really liked strong, athletic girls...not to mention Rahne was well endowed. Besides the obvious physical attraction, he had learned from Tabitha that she had everything he had ever valued in a companion, she was smart, motivated, loyal, helpful, and a good Christian girl. He knew right then he wanted her, but after what had just happened he knew she wouldn't be ready for any romantic advances for quite some time. Holmes resigned himself to winning her trust, and that of the rest of the group, he sensed most of them thought he wasn't going to make it because he kept to himself a lot, not to mention the fact he had smashed the hell out of Roberto on his first day.

After lunch, Holmes was on his way to class when he walked up on several members of the football team, who had surrounded Tabitha and Kurt at their lockers. Duncan Matthews little brother, Ethan, was apparently the ring leader; he was threatening Kurt and pushing him around.

"Leave him alone, we never did anything to you!" Tabitha snapped

"You freaks got my brother arrested!" Ethan yelled

"He tried to kill us! He was trash and he got what he deserved!" Tabitha yelled back

"You got a real smart mouth bitch...here's five bucks, why don't you put it to better use?!" he sneered.

"Save it for your brother! I'm sure he's a pro at it by now!" Tabitha shot back.

"Shut up asshole!" Holmes yelled as he shoved Ethan against the lockers. Tabitha was the only one of the New Mutants who had reached out to him when he had first arrived and nobody was going to talk to her that way while he was around.

What the hell is your problem hillbilly?!" "You some kinda damn mutie lover?!" Ethan yelled, getting right in Holmes face. At 6'4" he was six inches taller than Holmes and he outweighed him by nearly sixty pounds, but Holmes stood his ground...Ethan might be big, but he didn't have the balls for a real fight and Holmes knew it.

"I **am** a mutant….and I didn't come here t' pick a fight, but if ya don't get back I'm gonna tear yer ass off." Holmes said coldly.

"What are you gonna do freak?!" Ethan taunted. "You can't use your powers to fight back or you'll get expelled.

"We don't need powers to deal with assholes like you." Tabitha said coldly.

"Do the math runt." Ethan said as two more of his friends walked up "there's five of us and three of you. "

"I guess you are as dumb as you look." Ray interrupted as he and Rahne stepped up to join Holmes, Tabitha and Kurt. "Things just got even." At 5'2" and 110lbs, Rahne was tiny compared to Ethan and his friends and Ray wasn't exactly intimidating either; the thugs started to laugh at them until Rahne let out a low, rumbling growl.

"Freak! This isn't over!" Ethan said as he saw his friends turn and disappear down the hall, they had better sense than to provoke that many mutants.

"You better hope it is." Holmes said angrily as Ethan scurried away after his friends and the crowd broke up.

"They didn't know you vere a mutant...now they'll really be after you." Kurt told him.

"I don't give a damn...if that shit-eater wants one of us, he's gotta take all of us...besides, I'm tired of hidin and I'm tired of bein' afraid." "I'm glad I'm a mutant, and I don't care what any of these assholes think anymore." Tabitha smiled, she knew there was a good reason she liked him.

"Tabitha...I just want ya to know...I didn't do that because I think ya can't handle yerself...I did it 'cause you're ma friend...and I never leave anyone behind" Tabitha nodded, she damn sure didn't need any man to take care of her, but she knew he wasn't the kind of guy who'd put up with that and it was nice that he cared about her.

When Holmes got to class, he found that Ethan had decided to tell everyone his little secret. Everyone gave him a dirty look and moved their desks away from his. He didn't care anymore, he wasn't going to stand around and do nothing while his new friends got beat up. "Really?!" he asked sarcastically as he flipped off the whole class and took his seat.

* * *

Finally, the last bell rang and Holmes met the others in the parking lot since he was driving. His truck was a total bomb, a beat-up F-150 with 300,000 on the clock, but he'd worked his ass off to pay for it and the others knew better than to complain too much.

"Where's Rogue?!" Kitty asked as Holmes walked out of the building.

"I thought she was with you!" he said. They had all decided that there should never be fewer than three of them together between classes, since the faculty obviously wasn't going to stop anyone from beating them up.

"Lets go!" Kurt exclaimed, looking alarmed.

"Hold up." Holmes said, tossing his keys to Kitty. "If any more of those pencil dicks show up, you get th rest of 'em outta here."

"All right, but you be careful in there!"

"No, you be careful! I better not find one scratch on ma truck!" _'Like you'd notice,' _she thought looking at his truck. _'Redneck...'_

"Ray, you and Tabitha hang back and protect th others..smash th hell outta these bastards if ya have to."

"Oh, come on..." Ray started to protest, but Holmes cut him off.

"Shut up Ray, you'll do more good here." He said. He and Ray hadn't gotten off to the best start either and they didn't like each other, but this didn't have anything to do with his personal feelings, he wanted both Ray and Tabitha to stay back and protect the others because they both had strong powers.

"Who the hell made you the boss?!" Ray protested.

"Grow up Ray!" Kitty snapped as she gave him a look and Holmes just ignored him.

"Kurt, lets go!" They both teleported back into the building, now nearly devoid of any activity. Holmes had passed Ethan in the hall on his way out and he had flipped him off, so it was reasonable to assume something might be up.

* * *

"I'll go up see if she stayed late in class" Kurt said as they reached the stairs.

"I'm goin to check her locker." Holmes said. Just as he suspected, Rogue was cornered by Ethan and two of his buddies from earlier, they were talking trash and trying to provoke her to fight.

"Awww, whats the matter? All the other freaks run off and leave you?" Ethan asked. Rogue tried to ignore him, but he shoved her against her locker. "I'm talking to you freak!" he yelled.

"Leave me alone!" Rogue yelled as she threw her books down and pushed him away, she had enough crap in her life without having to put up with this.

"You better watch your attitude freak, I'm about this far from forgetting you're a girl!" Ethan sneered as he held up his hand with his thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

"Is that yer IQ or th size of yer dick?!" Rogue snapped.

"Bitch!" he yelled as he tried to slap her, but she blocked and slammed her fist into his face; Ethan hit the floor like a ton of bricks, she'd broken his nose and nearly knocked him out...it hurt so bad he could hardly see. Ethan's friends jumped back in shock, but Rogue wasn't done, she jumped and hit the next one in the jaw with a spin kick that knocked his head into the lockers. As tough as Rogue was, there were just too many of them and the third one managed to grab a handful of her hair and throw her on the ground...he was about to kick her when Holmes burst through the hall door and attacked.

"Get off her!" he roared as he grabbed the thug and slammed him face first into a row of lockers.

"Asshole!" he yelled, as he rammed his head into the wall again. Holmes grabbed him and drove his fist into his gut a hard as he could...as he cried out in pain and sank to the floor Holmes began kicking him unmercifully, he didn't stop until he was crying like a little girl.

"Ya ain't such a bad-ass now are ya?!" he yelled.

"Ah didn't need yer help!" Rogue snapped at him as she finished the second one off with a vicious kick to the crotch.

"You're welcome, darlin..." he said sarcastically, as he handed her one of her books and turned to leave.

"I'll get you expelled for this...you damn freaks!" Ethan yelled as he staggered to his feet, holding his severely broken nose. This last defiance was more than Holmes could stand, he grabbed a double handful of Ethan's shirt, heaved him into the air and slammed him against the lockers.

"No...you won't..." he hissed as his fangs and fur started to grow and his eyes turned yellow. Ethan looked like he was going to be sick. "Th nightmares you humans have are real, and if ya say one word to a living soul you'll never be able to sleep again...wonderin if that noise in th dark is th last thing you're ever gonna hear...cause one time its gonna be me, I promise ya that." Ethan was white and shaking with fear, Holmes morphed to his transitional form as he leaned in closer and growled, baring his fangs. Ethan whimpered and wet his pants; Holmes looked down as it puddled by his boot. He snorted in disgust as dropped Ethan in a sniveling heap and turned to leave.

"C'mon" he muttered as he passed Rogue.

* * *

Forge had finally finished with Holmes uniform, it was similar to Rahne's, made of unstable molecules to allow him to morph, except is was all black, with the exception of the red X belt buckle and the red X-men patch on the shoulder. Forge had reinforced the area on his chest, over his heart, with layers of his special armor, he had placed the same material on the back as well. This stuff was supposed to stop armor piercing rounds, but it was light weight and somewhat flexible. He had also given him armored knee and shin pads, as well as forearm pads and gloves, in case he had to fight in human form. Holmes thanked Forge and joined the X-men in the danger room for his first team exercise. The others were less apprehensive about him since his actions after lunch, but he knew they still had their doubts as to his commitment to teamwork. However, he fought well alongside his teammates that evening, even as a werewolf. The final challenge was to fight a simulated sentinel, after a few initial missteps, which resulted in DireWulf snatching Berzerker to safety, only to be smashed through a brick wall himself, the team made short work of the robot. Sunspot and Colossus knocked it down while the others pounded it into ruin. Distracted as she was by recent events Wolfsbane proved focused and deadly in battle, smashing the sentinel's head at the end. Everyone was suitably impressed with DireWulf's sense of teamwork, he was impulsive and violent ...there was no doubt about that, but if he would take a hit to help someone who hated him, then he had what it took to be one of the X-men.

* * *

While the others went to wash up and do homework, Holmes, not expecting company, pulled off his armored vest and walked into the gym, he had managed to control the anger he was feeling toward Ethan Matthews...and himself during the simulation, but now it begged to be released. Back home Holmes had dealt with anger by going into the woods and transforming...it was easier to deal with things as a wolf, almost too easy. Here at the institute, he could hardly get a moments peace and since he was already in such a foul mood, he was afraid to transform and just let himself go around so many people. He decided to settle for the next best thing, he tore into the 100 lb. punching bag like it had insulted his mother. Rogue heard the noise and knew it had to be him; she still wasn't sure about him, but he had tried to help her, so she walked in to talk to him about the events at school. _'Good lord,'_ she thought when she saw him, _'that redneck is cut, kinda hairy, but...no wonder he wasn't afraid of the football players.' _Holmes saw her and was a little embarrassed, he had never wanted to be seen as one of those guys who strutted around in the gym shirtless, showing off.

"Look, Ah'm sorry Ah was a bitch to ya today." she said

"Its ok...that asshole had us both pissed off."

"Anyway, thanks fer th backup; ya handled yerself pretty well back there..."

"No, I didn't...I really, really wanted to hurt him...I'm talkin bad..." Holmes said. "It was all I could do to stop maself." he added.

"Thats th downside of yer power...I guess?" she asked.

"Maybe...I don't know...maybe I am a monster ..." he said as he punched the bag again.

"I know where you're comin from"

"I really doubt it darlin" He said sarcastically.

"Ya killed somebody...I can see it in yer eyes...it changes ya..."

"I killed a thief." he admitted. "Th son of a bitch was wasted on meth and he tried to kill ma family."

"I killed Mystique."

"Bullshit... she's alive, I had to fight her in th danger room..."

"I tried to kill her, to me its th same thing..."

"Why'd ya do it?"

"Ah guess Ah thought she deserved to die." she said, as a tear ran down her cheek. "She tried to kill th New Mutants...she would have too if it wasn't fer Tabitha." "She's th one who freed Apocalypse...she made a deal with him because she knew he was stronger than Magneto...they used Mesmero to control me and drain th X-Men's powers to give to him...once I did, he tried to kill us... I escaped and left her to die..."

"Rogue...I know how ya must feel...but..."

"Look, ya don't know me and I don't wanna know you, a'ight?!" she snapped. She wasn't looking for sympathy and she didn't know why she'd told him that.

"Hey! You came and found me remember?!" He snapped. "I know ya wish ya hadn't made th choice ya did...but that's th past and ya gotta learn to live with it jus like I gotta live with mine...but at least you never really killed anybody." He said.

"That doesn't make it any easier..." she said as she got up to leave...she hadn't expected him to open up like he had. They would probably never be good friends, but he had been completely honest with her and she respected that.

"Bullshit..." Holmes muttered as he gave the bag a few more good hits and then followed her out.

* * *

Later that night Holmes was busy washing dishes after the evening meal, with a house that size and with that many people, there was no end to the work and everyone did their share to keep the place clean, from the professor, right on down to the new guy. _'Ya owe me elf, half of that was yer mess...'_ he thought as he finished scrubbing the last pot and hit the switch on the dishwasher. His sister had always teased him about how much he ate, but now he'd found a mutant metabolism that put his to shame.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't realized how much he was going to miss home and his family...sure, Anna could be a pest sometimes, but he loved his little sister. He sighed and told himself again that he had done the right thing, for himself and his family...they were better off without him around, especially Anna...it was hard enough being sixteen without having a monster for an older brother. _'Bah...' _he thought as he sat down at the table _'I must be turning into a candy-ass or something...sitting here feeling sorry fer maself...' _

"Hey Rahne..." he said, looking back over his shoulder at her. Rahne paused in the doorway, she had forgotten that his senses were as sharp as her's. She was barefooted and hadn't made a sound, but he still knew she was there.

"Hi" Rahne answered. "Have I caught ye at a bad time?"

"Naw...just thinkin about home..." he said as he leaned back in his chair.

"I'm a long way from home tae..." Rahne said as she sat down.

"What part of Scotland ya from?"

"Ullapool...do ye know where tha' is?" she asked, expecting him to say no...none of them knew anything about her home.

"Yeah" he answered as Rahne looked at him, genuinely surprised.

"Ma dad was in th Army...we were stationed in Europe fer three years...I been around, even made it as far as Aberfeldy." he answered.

"Really, what were ye doing there?" she asked.

"A little family research...most of ma ancestors were Scottish..." he told her. "MacLaren Clan." he added.

"MacLarens? Well... I'll nae hold it against ye..." she said with a bit of a grin. That was the first time he'd seen her smile and he couldn't take his eyes of her, she really was beautiful. He felt so bad for her after what had happened and he was glad that, at least for the moment, her mind was free of recent events.

"Hey, we never killed anybody that didn't deserve it..." he joked.

"Aye, but I dinnae think th English will agree wit' ye."

"Then I shall destroy them, with fire from muh eyes and bolts of lightnin from muh arse!" Holmes said, ripping off Mel Gibson in Brave Heart. Rahne had a good laugh at that, but it was more from Holmes' bad Scottish accent than anything else. He wasn't anything like what she'd expected and she felt bad she hadn't taken more time to get to know him his first day at the institute.

"Kitty's dinner nae agreeing wit' ye then?" Rahne teased. "I'm sorry, we should ha' warned ye..."

"Damn right ya should have….that was a crime against humanity….I should go home."

"Holmes, there's somethin I want tae say tae ye..." Rahne said, becoming serious again. "I'm sorry fer th way I've acted lately...I've nae exactly made ye feel welcome." she said.

"And I didn't make a very good impression when I first got here...don't apologize, I just appreciate ya'll givin me a chance." he answered.

"Aye, but I know how hard it is tae be a werewolf...I should ha' tried tae help th others understand why ye reacted th way ye did." Rahne said.

"Was it hard fer ya...in th beginning?" he asked.

"Nae as hard as it is fer ye, but there were times when it was really difficult...especially when I turned 15...tha's when I came here." she told him. "I know how hard it seems, th anger is th hardest part, but I know ye can overcome it...I can help ye...if ye want..." Rahne said shyly, aware she was blushing.

"Thanks...Doc's helpin, but there's a lot about being a werewolf he'll never know...and I've only been a mutant fer a year...you've had time to grow into it...I need yer help Rahne." he said. Rahne could see that Holmes wasn't used to asking others for help, but he was sincere in his request and it was obvious he respected her and her skills.

"Ye mean ye didnae manifest till ye were 17?" Rahne asked, utterly amazed.

"Yeah...th weird thing is, I hit puberty early...I been shaving since I was twelve." He told her. _'I believe it...' _Rahne thought. Holmes looked like he was 25, he was really well built and she'd overheard some locker room gossip that made her blush.

"There's no set rule ye know; Jamie and Kurt were born with their powers...I manifested when I was 10... but Rogue didnae change till she was 15." Rahne said, trying to make him feel more comfortable. "Stress and strong emotions seem tae ha' triggered most of our mutations...age isn't th' most important factor."

"Well that explains what happened to me then." Holmes said as he placed his left hand over the gruesome scars on his right forearm. He wasn't really aware he'd done it, since he was lost in though for a moment, remembering the incident. Rahne's curiosity was aroused, but she was afraid he might ask her about the day she manifested and she really didn't want to talk about it...not yet anyway.

"Did ya ever wonder...why we turned into werewolves?" Holmes asked after a moment.

"Why indeed..." Rahne mused. "It was hard fer me tae accept tha there was an animal inside me...it jus' seems so unnatural...and th way people look at ye...even other mutants..."

"Yeah..." Holmes answered "like taking wolf form is th most unnatural thing in th world" Across the table from him, Rahne nodded in silent agreement. Everyone knew Kurt hated looking different and it was no secret to Rahne that some of the others wondered why she chose to look like a werewolf when she didn't have to.

"Well, it's not any weirder than eye-beams or turnin yerself into ice or metal...must be nice to be so normal..." Holmes said sarcastically. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't be talking like that" He said after a moment "I should be grateful to be here..."

"Yea, we are lucky...everyone hates me back home...this is th only place I ever felt tha I belonged..." Rahne said.

"I never felt like I belonged anywhere either...when I was little, we moved alot...I was always th new kid..." he told her. "Things got better when dad transferred and we were stationed at Fort Campbell, but I still never really felt like I fit in."

"Where's Fort Campbell?" Rahne asked.

"On the border of Tennessee and Kentucky...most of the 101st Airborne is based there." he told her.

"Where else ha' ye lived?" Rahne asked.

"I was born in Heidelberg Germany, when dad was stationed there...I don't really know what he did back then... Anyway, after that we moved to Fort Benning GA, thats where ma sister was born, then Fort Bragg NC, then Seoul South Korea and finally Hereford England, before we landed at Fort Campbell...but ma family was originally from Alabama. ...so we moved to Huntsville after dad got half his leg blown off and couldn't jump anymore."

"Och...tha's awful, is he all right now?" Rahne asked.

"He's fine..." Holmes told her. "He's the head of security for the NASA base down there."

"Wha's yuir sister like? ...I always wished I had a brother or sister." Rahne asked.

"Well, Anna's nothin like me...thankfully. All that moving around never really bothered her, she's always been popular, but she never let it go to her head. We've always been really close, she's only two years younger than me...of course she's a pest sometimes, but I love her." Rahne smiled, she didn't know him that well, but she was sure he was a good big brother, the kind she sometimes wished she had. They sat it the kitchen and talked for a long time that night, Rahne was pleased to discover that he took his faith as seriously as she did and that meant a lot as far as she was concerned. His loyalty and willingness to defend the others were also traits she admired...and for the first time, she really started to notice him, physically...Rahne wasn't shallow, but she liked a guy who took care of himself and Holmes clothes did little to conceal the fact that he had spent years in the gym. True, his military haircut and the scar over his eye did give him an ominous appearance, but Rahne barely noticed...she could already see past that "hard-ass" image he tried to project to see a guy who loved his family, stood up for his friends and wanted, more than anything else, to be able to help other mutants and make a difference in the world...he wasn't any different from the rest of them.


	7. Chapter 7: Extraordinary Girl

**Chapter 7: Extraordinary Girl**

Despite another fit of temper that landed him two weeks of probation and a lot of extra training, the past two months had been the best in Holmes memory. Holmes had found acceptance with the X-men, most of them anyway, and was finally at peace with his own demons, but most importantly, he had won the affections of Rahne Sinclair. Tonight would be their first "official" date, but they had spent quite a lot of time together the past few months, whether it was doing homework, training, talking, hanging out or giving her driving lessons, Holmes loved every minute of it. At first it had just been a friendly conversation she initiated that night after he had stood up to the bullies in the hall, the conversation eventually came to their powers and both were happy to finally be able to share their experiences with someone who understood and didn't have any issues about their appearance, the shedding, the mood swings, or the howling. From that night on they were friends and when she got her permit he offered to let her learn in his truck, she thought he was nice because he would always have to spend five minutes readjust his seat and mirrors after she got out, he never once complained or teased her for being short like the others sometimes did.

They had even stayed friends after Holmes had told her about killing the thief that attacked his family. Rahne was appalled, but at the same time very understanding; truth be told, she could see herself doing the same thing if someone tried to harm her mother. Holmes was touched by her kindness; Rahne could see through his "tough guy" act and she knew how awful he felt about having to do it. When he was sure that the shock had faded, he had finally asked her out, she looked a little nervous for a moment, no doubt remembering what he had told her, but she had accepted.

It was Friday night and he was nearly done getting ready, unlike some of the others. He could smell Bobby's cologne all the way down here in his room and he hated it. _'Smells like a whore house,'_ he thought. He realized he was having a hard time buttoning his shirt...was he nervous? _'Crap...' _he thought,_ 'you'd think I'd never been out with a girl before.' _

"Hey Mike...ya still here?" Sam asked as he opened the door slightly.

"Yeah, c'mon in..." he replied.

"So….you and Rahne are finally official now?" He asked.

"Yeah." Holmes said as he followed him down the hall.

"Good….you're th' only guy here I really feel good about Rahne dating." He said. Sam had more or less adopted Rahne as a little sister and he was extremely protective of her. He felt bad that she was always left out on date night and he was a little angry that the other guys couldn't see how special she really was. Holmes was glad to hear him say that; he and Sam had become best friends since he'd arrived and they'd helped each other out a lot with their relationships.

Holmes had bonded with Tabitha the same way Sam had with Rahne and he was really happy for both of them. They might seem like a mismatch, but there was a lot more to either of them than most people thought. He had learned a lot about Sam and Tabitha over the past few months. Sam had told him how his dad had been killed in a coal mine explosion a few years earlier and how he'd dropped out of school and taken a job in the mine so his family wouldn't go broke and loose their home. Holmes was truly impressed by Sam, he should have been the first Guthrie to go to college, but he'd sacrificed his future for his family without a second thought and in the end he'd almost sacrificed his life...he was trapped in a cave-in and he almost suffocated before his powers manifested and he blasted his way out. Holmes didn't know too many of the details yet, but he knew Tabitha had a horrible relationship with her parents, especially her father, so it was pretty obvious to him why she was so attracted to Sam.

Tabitha told him a good bit about herself as well and what he had learned only made him value her friendship even more. She told him that she'd actually arrived at the institute before he and Rahne's class had enrolled. She and a girl named Sarah were the first new students Xavier took in after Scott and Jean's class, but neither of them lasted very long. Personal items started to turn up missing and everyone blamed Tabitha because Sarah framed her. Tabitha got angry and tried to leave when Jean asked to read her mind to settle the matter. Jean got angry with her and read her mind anyway because she didn't understand what Tabitha was hiding from her. Jean only looked far enough to know Tabitha was innocent and Sarah fled to the Morlock tunnels, but the damage was done. They all tried to apologize to Tabitha, especially Jean, but she felt so violated and humiliated that she ran away that same night.

Tabitha briefly joined the Brotherhood, more out of necessity than anything else, but she could never accept their violence and hate and suffered a brutal beating at the hands of Mystique for refusing to aid them on a mission against the X-Men. Tabitha escaped and managed to help the New Mutants in time to escape the trap Mystique had set for them, although the Institute was heavily damaged. Tabitha still felt unwelcome at the institute and she left as soon as she'd recovered from her injuries and went to live on her own. It had been extremely hard for her in the beginning, she didn't have much money, but she worked hard and didn't fall back to her criminal past no matter how hard life became.

Tabitha didn't stay away long though; the professor was captured by Apocalypse and she'd come to help the New Mutants even though she knew none of them were likely to return. Once Apocalypse was defeated, Amara and the others had all begged Tabitha to come back to school with them and she'd accepted. Despite the fact that they kept her past experience a secret at first, Tabitha didn't get along with any of Xavier's first students except Kurt, but she quickly made friends with the other New Mutants. Holmes was happy for Tabitha, he really liked her and he wanted her to be happy; he also knew Sam genuinely respected and cared for her and he appreciated Tabitha for who she really was.

"Got something for ya Fluffy." Tabitha was as she opened the door for them. Sam tried not to laugh at him, but the irony of someone so tough being nicknamed "Fluffy" was pretty damn funny. Holmes acted like he didn't like it, but he loved Tabitha so much he took it as a term of endearment and she knew it. She was the only one who could call him that though, he threw Bobby in the lake when he did it and the two day punishment duty was well worth it.

"Sweet…." Holmes said as he looked at the fake ID she'd made for him. A new club had just opened and they were all going tonight thanks to Tabitha.

"If you get busted, you don't know me." She teased.

"We're goin' t' eat and then we'll meet ya'll." He said as she and Sam started to leave.

"Bye Rahne! Don't do anything I'd do!" she giggled.

"Hey….ye look good tonight." Rahne said as she came to the door. Holmes stood there a minute, taking her in before he managed a response. He had lived under the same roof with her for nearly three months and it never ceased to amaze him how good she could look, and she never wore makeup either. He put his arm around her and they walked out to the truck. Sam and Tabby had already left, Rogue and Remy were pulling out of the driveway, and Bobby, as usual, was waiting on Amara. Hank was standing at the door seeing everyone off.

"Be back before 1:00AM, Mr. Holmes" Hank said. "Or else..."

"Relax Doc...mating seasons still a few months off." he said. Hank's jaw dropped and for once he was at a complete loss for words as Holmes and Rahne headed for the car.

* * *

"This just doesn't seem right Jean..." Scott said as he watched Holmes and Rahne walk out to the garage. "Why can't you trust Holmes...he seems like a decent guy...even if he is a little creepy sometimes."

"I don't go in peoples minds without permission, but...there's something he doesn't want us to find out...something serious. I can sense it every time I get close to him...I can't help it." Jean answered as she came to the window.

"Professor X has been working with him since he got here...how could he hide anything serious from him?" Scott asked her.

"I don't know...but Rahne's already been through so much...I don't want to see her get hurt anymore, and you know how awful he is when his powers get away from him." Jean said, remembering when Scott actually had to blast him to get him back to his senses.

"Alright Jean...alright, but if he is going to hurt her, there really isn't much we can do to stop him other than blast him." Scott said as they went downstairs. "He's gonna figure out what we're doing and he's gonna be pissed...they both are..." he added. Despite what Jean had sensed, he just couldn't believe Holmes would do anything to hurt any of them, not after he had stood up to the bullies at school the way he had.

* * *

"So, where do ya wanna eat tonight?" Holmes asked as he opened the car door for her.

"I dinnae know...I'm nae picky."

"Well, Kitty told me about this nice Italian place….Marcini's, you wanna try there?"

"Aye, now tha sounds good."

He could sense she was a little nervous, so he cracked a few jokes to get her to laugh and lighten the mood, after all this was their first date, it was supposed to be fun. Rahne was still laughing at Holmes' joke on Hank when she remembered Tabby's advice _"just do whatever you usually do when you're with him...the big fur-ball will have fun just being with you...I've seen you guys together... he's always really happy when you're with him."_ That made her feel a lot better, but she could still hear Reverend Craig telling her she was whore. She was determined not to let him, or his blasphemous lies ruin this night for her, Holmes was a good man, always a perfect gentleman when he was with her. He genuinely cared for her...she knew that, and now she thought she was falling in love with him...she didn't have much experience but she knew what she felt for him was genuine. He was always on her mind now...it was a lot different from the crush she'd had on Alex. A foot away in the drivers seat Holmes was feeling the same thing for her, but he still wasn't sure how she _really_ felt about him.

* * *

They were just sitting down at their table when he caught a familiar scent, it was faint and it was hard to tell where it was coming from in the crowd. Just then he looked up and saw Jean and Scott walking in. _'That might be coincidence,'_ he thought, _'or "Shades" and "Big Red" might be checkin up on me.' _ He knew both Jean and Scott were still very apprehensive about him and his vicious alter-ego, but he thought this visit was probably due Jean's concern for Rahne. Holmes wasn't angry with Jean, but he thought she was being overprotective of Rahne. _'You should know I'd never put my hands on her like that….' _He thought. He tried to put those thoughts out of his mind, after all he wasn't even supposed to know Rahne had family problems, unless she wanted to tell him...he almost felt guilty...like a peeping-tom or something.

"Hi guys, we didn't expect to find you here" Jean said cheerfully.

'_Bullshit.'_ Holmes thought as he returned her greeting, hoping Jean picked up his thoughts. From the amount of whispering that occurred after they were seated, he was pretty sure she had.

"She's very pretty." Rahne said, admiring Jean's height and figure.

"She's alright." Holmes said dryly, glancing at the menu, the damn thing was written in Italian and he only spoke some German and a little Korean.

"Jus' alright?" Rahne asked puzzled.

"She's really hot, but I think yer're prettier than she is." Holmes said as he looked up from his menu.

"Ye really mean tha'." Rahne said. She could tell from his scent he was dead serious and she was flattered to say the least. Alex's cruel rejection of her had made her feel ugly and unlovable and doubt had started to creep back into her mind again. "Thank ye." She said.

* * *

Later, as they finished their meal and got up to leave, _'Hey, Big Red, were gonna go up to that new club Tabby was tellin us about, should I reserve y'all a table?'_ he thought as he escorted Rahne to the truck.

'_You're imagining things...'_ Jean retorted. _'And you're all underage...'_

'_Ya gonna send me to ma room?'_ Holmes shot back.

'_Do you know you have an attitude problem?'_ she asked indignantly.

'_Yeah, but its just a little one.'_ he answered as he and Rahne walked out the door.

"Och, I've made a pig of muhself, but it was sooo good, thank ye"

"Good, maybe now ya won't blow away if th wind gets up bad." he said smiling at her.

"Aw, yui're mean" she giggled smacking him in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry shuga." Rahne smiled, that had been his pet-name for her since they had become friends, but it seemed to mean more to her tonight.

"I like th way ye call me tha."

"Really?"

"Aye"

"Most people round here don't like ma voice...say they can't understand me...I got th same problem with them."

"They tell me th same." she answered. "Still, I guess I could talk like everybody else if I wanted too." Rahne said, instantly dropping any hint of her Scottish accent. Holmes nearly died of shock, she sounded American...he had no idea she had that kind of talent.

"Good lord, how'd ya do that?!" Holmes asked.

"It wasn't easy to learn." Rahne said, still sounding like she'd never set foot in Scotland. "But I guess I just have a gift...besides, I thought it might come in handy sometime."

"I guess, but...I like th real you better." he said.

"Sure ya wouldn't like it better if I sounded like this?" Rahne asked, perfectly imitating Rogue. Neither of them could keep a straight face any longer and they both nearly died laughing.

"No...I wouldn't." he said as he regained his composure. "I'm not about to apologize fer th way I talk and neither should you."

"I dinnae intend tae." Rahne said emphatically.

* * *

'_Not bad Tabby...'_ Holmes thought as they walked into the club, those fake ID's she'd made hadn't gotten a second look from security. Holmes felt out of his element, he never really went to a lot of clubs or parties, but a lot of people obviously enjoyed it and he wasn't entirely sure what she'd like. He had to admit though, it was a pretty nice place, decent crowd, tolerable music, even for him, and there didn't appear to be any obviously sleazy behavior going on. That being said, he immediately noticed several guys eyeballing Rahne, he gave them his best "go to hell" look and put his arm around her as they walked in...her admirers got the message.

"Hey guys " Tabitha squealed, running up to them.

As she and Rahne caught up on girl talk for the evening, Sam gave Holmes a contented look as he put his arm around Tabitha, they were obviously enjoying each others company. Holmes looked over to a table in the far corner of the club he locked eyes with Remy and Rogue.

"Don't mind them fluffy, they're being antisocial again." Tabitha said. Sam smirked and Holmes gave him the finger.

"Hey Jean " Tabitha said loudly, even though Jean was telling her to pretend she hadn't seen them. Jean and Scott looked awkward and tried to disappear in the crowd. That was it, Holmes looked over at Remy and motioned him to meet him. They both walked to an unoccupied corner near the back of the club as Tabitha and Sam tried to keep from laughing, Rahne might try to stop Holmes if she knew he and the Cajun were up to something and this was too good to pass up.

"What you want? I'm trying to show th chere' a good time." Remy asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Wha d'ya think I'm doin, swamp rat? Trouble is, I got cumpny" he said indicating Jean and Scott trying to hide in the background.

"D'ey following you? ..Why?"

"Jean's afraid I'm a sex fiend, or some such bullshit...

"You a fiend to be sure, but d'ey got no reason to treat you dis way...I'll take care of it."

"Thanks Remy."

"Don't let this get out ...Remy have a reputation as a scoundrel to uphold." Remy stepped outside and returned shortly with Rogue's coat, when he sat down he nodded at Holmes. Before long Tabitha had dragged her three friends out on the dance floor where it became obvious that Holmes had no clue what he was doing, which gave the girls a good laugh. About 10:00 Rahne was tired of the club and she could tell Holmes wasn't exactly thrilled to be there anymore either, he might be good at a lot of things, but dancing was not one of them.

"You guys can't leave, its not even 11:00 yet!" Tabitha nagged.

"We got plans Tabby..." Holmes answered.

"So, what are our plans?" Rahne asked with a smirk when they got outside.

"First, I thought we'd go terrorize a village and then maybe eat a few small children..." he said, pointing up at the full moon.

"Yuir're awful." she laughed and poked him in the ribs.

"Seriously though, ya wanna go up to lookout point and just be wolves?" he asked.

Rahne perked up immediately "I'd love tae." she answered. Although everyone but Alex was used to her powers now, she knew they still thought it was strange that she chose to take werewolf form so much. She didn't expect them to understand, but she was thrilled to finally be with someone who did. She and Holmes had already spent many hours together as werewolves, enjoying the wild side of their personalities that neither was able to express very well as a human, but tonight Rahne had that same wonderful feeling she had the first time she had seen him transform and she had joined him.

* * *

They got to lookout point about 10:30 and as Holmes had hoped, it was deserted. They would have the clearing and the surrounding woods to themselves. Their underclothes were made from unstable molecules and Rahne didn't really feel self-conscious since they were both covered in fur. Besides they'd been swimming together and it was just like her bikini when she returned to her normal form. They romped and played like two puppies, then roamed around enjoying all the new smells. Rahne scrambled into the trees to hide from Holmes; forgetting for a moment, that they could both climb almost as well as Nightcrawler. Back at the mansion Kitty, Jubilee, Amara and Tabitha had already gotten back and were wondering where Rahne and Holmes were, when Rogue walked in and turned the TV on.

"What could they still be doing?" Kitty asked

"Each other..." Tabitha joked.

"You are like, soooo perverted!" Kitty scolded.

"Get over it...you know Rahne wouldn't do that till she's married."

"Will y'all shut up?! Rogue snapped "I can't hear the TV." She had just got the words out when DireWulf's howl split the night air and nearly knocked the girls out of their seats. It was followed by Wolfsbane's equally eerie howl, and then howling in unison.

"Damn, talk about getting off!" Rogue joked, that opportunity was too good to pass up. Tabitha , Kitty and the others started laughing, the wolves' timing had been perfect for that one.

* * *

Back on the point the two wolves had stopped howling and started chasing each other again. Holmes slipped on the grass, which was wet with dew, and Rahne pounced on him playfully.

"Gotcha!" she said in a hoarse voice, she didn't sound like herself as a werewolf.

"I give!" Holmes laughed. Rahne tried to get up, but he grabbed her and rolled over on her.

"I lied!" he said as he pinned her down.

"I'll get ye back!" she giggled. They both laughed and struggled with each other, till their eyes suddenly met. They both stopped struggling and stared into each others eyes, she knew what he wanted, she wanted it too, but she was suddenly nervous again. He moved in slowly, she allowed him and they kissed, Rahne's first. She lay there looking up at him, caught up in the moment, then all at once she was aware that he was on top of her and they were in their underwear. She couldn't help herself; she looked away and squirmed under him. Holmes sensed her anxiety and immediately sat up and let her go; afraid he had really frightened her. He remembered some of the things he had overheard about her past, and he knew he had taken things too fast for her. Damn he felt like a fool, she probably thought he was a sex fiend now.

"Rahne, I'm sorry, really...I don't want ya to get th wrong idea...I mean ...I know how ya feel...I wat'n tryin to get in yer pants." Holmes stammered, losing his usual composure.

"I know...Im sorry."

She was trying her best to calm down, but her heart was pounding and she felt hot all over. Growing up, she'd been taught anything even remotely sexual was sinful and it has been hard for her to even imagine herself kissing a guy. Now that she was older, she knew Reverend Craig was a heretic and there was nothing wrong with what they had done, but still...she hadn't intended for things to go this fast and it made her a little uncomfortable. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sat on the grass for a moment. _'Why am I still like this?'_ She asked herself. _'This is natural….why am I still so afraid to be myself?'_ she asked again as she tried not to cry. _'God…please, I don't want to live like this anymore, I want to be free, please help me.'_ She prayed.

"I know ye respect me and I trust ye, dinnae get th wrong impression." She said. "I jus' ha' a really rough time growing up….I know tha' sounds stupid….but I jus' cannae help it sometimes…."

"Rahne, if somethin' happened to ya when you were little, it wasn't yer fault and it doesn't change th' way I feel about ya." He said, trying to control his emotions. He thought she'd been raped and it was killing him to think of her being treated so horribly.

"It's nothin' like tha'." She said, seeing the look on his face.

"If ya don't wanna talk about it, that's fine….but I'm not gonna get scared and run off." He told her. "I'm serious about you….about us."

"Muh father was a minister….he had his own _"unique" _interpretation of God's word." Rahne said. "Everythin' was a sin….especially if I did it." She sighed.

"Like kissin' yer boyfriend?" Holmes asked as he put his arm around her again.

"Aye….I'm a whore, jus' like muh mum….tha's wha' he used tae say tae me." She said as she wiped away a tear. Holmes was smart enough to read between the lines and he knew Rahne's childhood must have been filled with physical and emotional abuse; he could see the pain in her eyes and hear it in her voice. He was disgusted by her father; his faith was a defining part of his life and to see it perverted to hurt Rahne made him so angry he could have killed him. Church had always been a safe place for him where he'd found love and acceptance, but it had been a prison for Rahne. Her hateful father had given her the gift of God's word but only to make her ashamed of who she was.

"What happened to yer mom?" He asked.

"She accidentally overdosed on her medication…I found her dead one mornin' when I was four." Rahne said as tears filled her eyes and began to pour down her cheeks. Holmes just sat quietly and held her; he felt like crying too and he couldn't get the image of four year old Rahne crying over the body of her dead mother out of his mind. He took a deep breath and buried his feelings like he had when his father had been hurt and he had to be strong for his mother and little sister.

"I'm sorry….I'm askin' too many questions." He said as he held her a little closer.

"Ye've got a right tae know how messed up I am." Rahne sobbed.

"Yer're not messed up." He said firmly. "Yer're th' sweetest, most caring person I've ever met and I love you." He said. Rahne looked up at him, hardly believing what she'd just heard. She wanted to believe it more than anything in the world, but she could still hear her father telling her than no good man would ever be interested in the bastard daughter of a whore.

"If I tell ye muh mum was a stripper….wha' then?" She asked.

"It doesn't change th' way I feel about ya!" Holmes said, fighting the urge to get angry. He couldn't be angry with her, she was traumatized and she couldn't help the way she acted sometimes. Rahne was embarrassed, but she loved her mother and she felt guilty. She'd chosen the codename "Wolfsbane" because they were her mother's favorite flowers and she wanted to honor her memory.

"She's still yer mom Rahne….she still loved ya." Holmes said as he tried to comfort her.

"I know….and I love her." Rahne cried. "I'm sorry…I love ye too and I'm sorry…."

"You don't have to be ashamed….yer mom wasn't a bad person and neither are you." He told her. "Let it out Rahne, just get rid of all of it…..I'm here for you." He said. Holmes sat and listened to every awful detail of how Reverend Craig had brutally beaten her and emotionally abused her, constantly telling her she was worthless and evil until she believed it herself. She had no family, no friends and no love, all she knew was pain and misery, until she finally became desperate enough to run away. It tore him apart inside to see her suffer like this; he made people think he was made of armor and nails, but he wasn't and he started to cry with her. It was almost impossible to believe this sweet, loving girl could have been subjected to such inhuman cruelty by her own father.

"Im sorry…" He said as he turned away and wiped his eyes. He was supposed to be strong for her, but he was still human and it just hurt too much to know she and her mother had suffered like that. Her mother had been molested by her stepfather and had runaway to escape the abuse. She didn't have any dignity left and stripping kept her from starving to death since she'd had to drop out of school and couldn't get a decent job. Reverend Craig had started his _"ministry"_ in her neighborhood and she'd come to him for help because she hated the filthy, degrading lifestyle. He made her his "special project," but all that changed when she became pregnant with Rahne and wouldn't have an abortion. Her mother never got over the betrayal and fought depression the rest of her short life. She loved Rahne and did the best she could for her, but her demons finally caught up with her and she accidentally overdosed on her anxiety medications. Reverend Craig had already been removed from Ullapool and demoted, but the Bishop made him take Rahne to raise in a misguided attempt to save him.

"It's ok luv…ye dinnae have tae pretend yui're nae human in front of me." She said as she wiped her eyes as well. Rahne was surprised, he was always sweet and loving, but she'd never seen _**this**_ side of him before and she began to realize how much he loved her.

"Yer're th' strongest and the bravest person I've ever met and I have more respect fer you than anyone." He told her. "None of it was yer fault Rahne….you were an innocent child and there's nothing evil about you. Yer father was supposed t' love and protect ya, not burden you with his sins….he's a coward and a hypocrite." He said as he held her close.

"I jus' want him tae love me….." She said as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I know you do, but you have a father in heaven who loves ya...a real father." He said as he gently rubbed his hand across her back, trying to comfort her. "God loves you Rahne….I love you and yer're a blessing to everyone who knows you."

"Thank ye." She said as she dried her eyes. As hard as this had been, she felt better now that she'd talked about her past with Holmes and she'd freed herself from the last of the shame and guilt her father had forced on her. She was ready to begin the relationship she'd dreamed of for so long and she was thankful to have Holmes in her life; he was everything she'd prayed for.

"Rahne….I wish I could take this away from you…..but I just don't know what to do….I love you and I'm sorry." He said as he held her.

"Ye've done enough." She said. "Sometimes all ye need tae do is listen."

"I'll always listen and I'll always love you….believe that." He said as they lay back on the grass, looking up at the stars.

"I do and I love ye tae." She said as she snuggled next to him. They held each other close and Rahne told him about how Moira had adopted her and become her mother, how she and Reverend MacLaren had taught her the truth about their faith and about how she'd come to the institute. It was really late before they finally got dressed and headed back home. Even thought they walked in at 12:59, Hank didn't give Holmes a hard time. One look at Rahne and he knew they'd shared something special.

"Thank ye...n'body but Reverend MacLaren ha' e'er talked tae me like tha'." she said

"That was God." Holmes admitted. "I asked him t' talk to ya fer me…."

"He help ye, but tha' came from yuir heart." She said sweetly. Holmes pulled her into his arms and kissed her as she returned his love.

"I'll see ya tomorrow…." He said as they reluctantly parted. Hank and Ororo were strict about curfew and it was time for everyone to go back to their halls.

* * *

"That sounded like one heck of a first date." Amara teased as Rahne sat down on the sofa in the common room next to them. "Care to share?" she asked, being serious again.

"An answered prayer." Rahne told her.

"I knew it!" Tabitha exclaimed as she put her arm around her.

"He told me he loved me." Rahne told her.

"I'm happy for you Rahne!" Kitty squealed as Amara and Rogue nodded. They really were happy for Rahne, they didn't know all the details like Tabitha, but they knew she'd had a hard life and they felt bad none of the guys had paid more attention to her.

"Where ya been Ms. Perfect?" Rogue asked. Jean telekinetically threw a pillow at her.

"_Somebody_ took the spark plugs out of Scott's car while we were in the club …"

"Rogue, where did you and Remy disappear too, we could have used some help." She asked after a moment.

"Oh...uh... we had plans Jean." Rogue answered.

"Tabitha, where did you and Sam run off too?" she asked.

"Why don't you read my mind and find out?" Tabitha asked derisively. Jean immediately felt terrible again_ 'I deserved that…' _she thought.

"I said I was sorry…..I don't know what else to do…." Jean said as she left. Rogue and Kitty left to check on her, leaving Tabitha with Rahne and Amara.

"Ye should try tae fergive her Tabby." Rahne said. "She's a good person; she jus' made a mistake."

"She's just sorry she was wrong." Tabitha said as she began to pout. She'd been totally humiliated and no one but Kurt had shown her any pity or believed she was innocent. She was certain they really didn't think she was good enough and they only kept her around because they felt sorry for her. She wasn't a victim and she didn't want their pity; Sam, Rahne, Holmes and Amara all respected her strength and character and she loved them.

* * *

Later, as Holmes was getting into bed, he noticed the house was getting quite, he decided to try reaching Jean through her telepathy. He didn't know if she would pick him up or not, the walls of her bedroom were shielded to keep the other's thoughts out of her mind while she was sleeping.

'_Jean.' _

'_Jean?' _

'_JEAN!'_

'_What?! Im...busy...'_

'_Get busy with Scott later, we gotta talk.'_

'_We weren't ...I mean, I wasn't ...ooooooh you're a pervert!'_

'_The proper term is "voyeur"...' _

'_What the hell do you want!?'_

'_Look Jean, maybe that was uncalled for, but so was following me around tonight. I know you and Scott think I'm a psycho, but do ya really think I'd do anything to hurt her? Look in ma mind, come on, tell me what ya see.'_

'_Holmes...I'm sorry...does she know how you feel?'_

'_Yeah…we had a long talk tonight.'_

'_Did she tell you...about him?'_

'_Yeah…..look Jean, I know yer're worried about her, but she's stronger than ya'll think she is. She's gonna have moments where she struggles, but she doesn't need us to come hold her hand every time she falls down….she's tougher than both of us put together.'_

'_You're right...'_

'_Wow...that must be really hard fer ya to admit.'_

'_Holmes, I...'_

'_Ya still don't trust me…..'_

'_You talk about trust, but you're blocking me out...I can tell you know.'_

'_That's between me and God.'_

'_Fine ….but whatever it is, you should tell Rahne.'_

'_I did and she doesn't care! That ought t' be good enough fer you !'_

Jean severed her connection to him...damn he was impossible ! She was already upset by her confrontation with Tabitha and she got so aggravated her hair brush flew off her dresser and nearly hit Scott. "Pissed him off, didn't we?" Scott asked, knowing there was only one person in the house that could drive Jean that crazy.

"Ok...you were right." Jean admitted, trying to calm herself. "I still don't completely trust him, but I know he'd never hit Rahne or intentionally do anything to upset her…he loves her."

"Then whatever he's hiding can't be that bad...just give him time, Ok?" Scott replied. "He didn't say what he did with my spark plugs did he?" he asked as he leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

**Rahne has finally found love, but will her dreams be shattered? The terrorist organization known as RIGHT is about to make their presence known with dire consequences for Rahne, Tabitha, Sam and Mike. One of the X-Men will be captured and our four heroes will risk everything to bring him home. The battle for the future of the mutant race is about to begin...**


	8. Chapter 8: Crossing the Line

**Chapter 8: Crossing the Line**

Over the past few weeks, since their first date, Holmes and Rahne had only grown closer. They were a good match for each other, she was strong; he knew she had to be, if she could survive Reverend Craig, while keeping her sanity and her faith in God intact. She was independent...she knew who she was and what she stood for, just like Holmes, and like Holmes, she also had a bit of a temper, how could you not after all she had been through. She was still one of the nicest girls in the institute and generally easy to get along with, but that didn't stop her from having a few spats with Holmes. While these were rare, they were perfectly understandable, given Holmes' nature and temperament, as well as the fact that he had a lot of Scottish blood in his family and Rahne was all Scots. When she and Holmes did have a fight, they didn't hold back, but they never stayed mad long, one or both always apologizing within an hour or so. They had an advantage over the other couples at the institute; their powers allowed them to sense each others moods, through their heightened senses. They immediately knew when to give each other their space, and when to be close without the learning process other people go through. Holmes was also relieved that she was starting to take an equal role in the relationship, rather than being the docile wallflower she had been on their first date.

It was Thursday evening and Holmes was in the kitchen, attempting to cook dinner. Holmes actually liked cooking, and he was pretty good at it, at least he thought so. What he hated was cooking with Scott; he had such bland tastes, never wanting Holmes to spice anything up. Come to think of it, most of them didn't after the last time when Holmes helped with the cookout and Jubilee discovered his chili sauce could also be used as brass cleaner for dirty pots and pans. Tasted fine to him, but it probably explains why she had hung a huge sign on the kitchen door that read "DANGER! MEN COOKING."

"This is all your fault…you and Tabitha." Scott said with mock indignation as he walked in and started to help Holmes prepare the evening meal.

"What did me and Boomer do now?" Holmes asked, trying to act as innocent as possible. He and Tabitha had certainly been guilty of devilry in the past; the time they "borrowed" Ray's hair gel was funny as hell, but this time they were innocent...at least Holmes was.

"You two and your black uniforms... now all the New Mutants want something custom made." Scott told him.

"What's wrong with that?" Holmes asked.

"Nothing I guess, I just thought you guys would want to look like the rest of the team is all."

"Listen bud, we're all on the same side here, but there's nothing wrong with a little friendly rivalry." Holmes told him. "Beside….ya'll look like ya escaped from a comic book." He added, pointing at one of Jamie's Superman comics on the table.

"We don't look that bad!" Scott protested, genuinely offended.

"Naw, ya'll look worse." Holmes joked. He knew it was childish, but every once in a while he enjoyed annoying Scott.

"That's wrong man….just wrong." Scott fumed.

"Hey, if I didn't like ya, I wouldn't talk to ya." Holmes said. Scott just snorted and shook his head; he ought to have known by now when Holmes was messing with him. He was relieved that Holmes didn't seem to hold a grudge after he had caught both he and Jean following him around on his first date with Rahne. That was amazing considering his lingering dislike for Alex, Bobby and Ray.

Despite the huge responsibility placed on them, both Scott and Holmes still occasionally found time to act like they were normal again and it wasn't long before they were arguing about the college football bowl season. "I don't care what they did this year, last year, or any year fer that matter...a'int no way in hell Nebraska can beat Auburn...ya'lls candy-ass conference can't compare to the SEC." Holmes said emphatically.

"You've been hit in the head too many times... you know that?" Scott asked. "Nebraska's gonna…." Scott stopped in mid taunt; the professor was trying to reach him telepathically. "Holmes….I gotta go, the professor needs to see me about something." Scott said.

"A'ight, but send somebody down to help me, will ya?" Holmes replied. Scott nodded and left the room, Holmes went on preparing the meal. After a moment, he had a thought and reached up into the cabinet for the cayenne pepper.

"Don't even think about it." Kitty said as she pranced into the kitchen.

'_Scott, you suck.'_ Holmes thought as he put the pepper back and tried to keep Kitty from setting something on fire. It wasn't until Scott, Jean and the professor came down for dinner that Holmes started to suspect something might be seriously wrong. Scott tried to act like everything was normal, but he only picked at his food and it was obvious something was bothering Jean, both Holmes and Rahne could tell by their scent that they were worried. After dinner Xavier asked everyone to meet him in the briefing room when the table was cleared.

"Did ye smell how worried they were?" Rahne asked as she watched Scott, Jean and the other instructors follow Xavier out of the room while the others cleaned up.

"Yeah….." Holmes said as he put his arm around her; he was starting to get a bad feeling about this whole thing.

* * *

Xavier waited until everyone was seated before he finally spoke. "For some time now, I've been aware of the existence of a terrorist group known as RIGHT, whose goal is the complete extermination of mutants." "I recently sent Angel to investigate...but it's been two days now since I've heard anything from him."

"Can't ya use Cerebro to find him?" Rogue asked.

"Yes, but when I did, Cerebro focused on an area in the Black Hills of South Dakota that's totally devoid of human activity...at least until I took the liberty of commandeering one of NASA's satellites." He said punching up a satellite image on the monitor. The thermal image showed what appeared to be an abandoned military installation built during the arms race with the U.S.S.R., there was a large portion of the base located underground and an empty missile silo.

"So what are they up to in there?" Laura asked.

"We know they're researching a way to prevent mutation in humans..." Xavier told the group.

"But that's impossible." Kitty interrupted. "Professor, you told us that the increased solar radiation is what mutates our genes..."

"It is, but they still believe they can overcome nature with science and they've begun carrying out unspeakably cruel genetic experiments on mutants." Xavier said darkly. At this the whole group became silent, imagining the horrible fate of any mutant the RIGHT managed to capture. The thought of their prolonged and terrible suffering at the hands of the RIGHT's geneticists and doctors sent chills through even the toughest of the group.

Suddenly, Sam broke the silence "What th' hell is that?!" He asked pointing at the screen. Whatever it was, looked like a man wearing bulky, robotic armor with a Vulcan mini-gun mounted on the right shoulder, it wearer was running through a training simulation alongside several unarmored, but heavily armed men.

"It looks like some kind of mechanized body armor." Hank told the group. "Based on what little we've seen, I believe this armor substantially increases the wearers strength, but the real danger is this Vulcan gun...it can fire thousands of rounds per minute."

'_Unbelievable.'_ Holmes thought. He understood why Jean and Scott were so concerned, inhuman medical experiments, genocide, terrorists, a fortified base of operations, armored soldiers standing guard and one of their own trapped in the middle of it all...damn. He had come to fight, to take a stand against atrocities like this, but now that he was face to face with the enemy...it didn't seem like a job for a bunch of high school kids, despite the fact that they had already saved the world twice. He quickly put those thoughts out of his mind, they had to fight; nobody else was going to stop these maniacs, let alone even try. The majority of the public hated mutants and the government couldn't be trusted...after all, they had turned to Bolivar Trask and the sentinel program rather than ask the X-men for help against Apocalypse, and they still used sentinels to protect the capitol and other key sites.

"Okay, so they've got some fancy weapons." Bobby said, in his usual naive and overconfident way. "We can take 'em...we beat Apocalypse didn't we?"

"I don't think you understand the severity of this situation." Xavier said sternly, "There are at least fifty armed men in that base, and it's layout makes infiltration almost impossible….we're going to have to fight for every inch of ground and there's nothing to stop them from killing the prisoners before we can get to them." He paused a moment to let the reality of the situation sink in, if it hadn't already.

"That armor was designed for one purpose, to give a normal human the power to fight a mutant...and win, it's incredibly tough and it has murderous fire power...you may not be able to stop it without killing the pilot...I'm not about to ask that of you." Hank said. "This mission is strictly volunteer...there's no shame in getting up and walking out of this room...consider what you're going to do if you stay." He said darkly.

"We can do what's necessary professor." Scott said, after a long silence. The other X-men all nodded in silent agreement.

"So can we professor." Sam said on behalf of the New Mutants.

"Ya'll better be damn sure about that..." Holmes said in a low voice. "I killed a man before I came here...he tried to kill ma family, so he had it coming...but I'm here to tell ya that nothing can prepare ya fer taking a life." "I still see his face every night, and he won't go away...ever...now ya'll better be sure….cause once ya cross th line there's no comin back." "Killin's th easy part, but livin with yerself afterwards...thats hard." Holmes said.

"If y'all wanna throw me out fer not tellin ya, then that's yer right, but I'm going on this mission, like it or not." Holmes said forcefully. Rahne took a deep breath and put her hand on his, afraid they might actually do it. The rest of the X-men sat in silence contemplating what he had said.

Logan broke the silence. "He's right, you New Mutants need to get up and leave...now." he said emphatically. Logan looked around the room, but no one moved. "Damn idiots...you're not ready for this, ya don't now what you're asking for."

"Yes we do." Sam said angrily. "None of us wanna do this, I sure as hell don't, but I know I can't live with maself if I leave those people in there to be tortured and killed...God gave me this power and th responsibility to use it, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Sam's right, and he speaks for everybody here, Wolverine." Scott said. "We're not kids anymore...we have to make a stand here and now and destroy the RIGHT before they kill anyone else."

Logan had to admit he was impressed with their courage, and he knew they hadn't easily come to their decision, but he had seen the dark side of humanity and he knew most of the others weren't ready. "You are kids, but you're the only ones who can make a stand..." he growled. "Jamie, Jubilee...you're not going in there...I don't want any arguments."

"Logan, are you prepared to take a team up there and scout the area?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah Chuck, but I get to pick em."

"Of course."

"All right, I choose the Elf, Kitty, New Guy, Rahne and Laura." He said after a moments thought. "Suit up and meet me in 20, remember it's cold out there, so pack smart."

* * *

"Professor, are you sure Holmes is up to this?" Jean asked after the others had gone.

"He's worked hard and he's ready...I know he'll do what's necessary." He said.

'_Thats what worries me...'_ Jean thought. She loved the professor, he was a good man and he'd done so much to help all of them, but he wasn't a saint and he'd done things over the years that she didn't agree with. He'd treated his first students like family, all except Tessa, who he'd kept apart from the others and trained as a spy to bring down the Hellfire Club. It had taken her years to destroy the club from within and during that time, she'd fought against her teammates and was plagued by guilt because of it. Once the club was destroyed, Xavier hadn't welcomed her back into the family for reasons Jean could never understand. Poor Tessa was so hurt and confused by this heartless betrayal that she left with Bishop and Jean hadn't seen her in several years.

Jean knew Holmes wouldn't hesitate to kill if he thought was protecting his teammates. She wasn't frightened of him, she was frightened for him, fearing the professor might be using him to do the dirty work he didn't want the other students involved in. Logan and Laura sometimes left for days on end and never talked about where they'd been or what they'd done and Angel was often sent on secret missions as well. She was beginning to suspect that there was a third team, a secret team, who did terrible things the X-Men and New Mutants couldn't be seen doing. Jean wasn't naive, she knew that sometimes there was no other choice, some enemies were so evil they had to be killed, but Laura was so damaged she didn't need to be involved and neither did Holmes. It seemed all but certain that Holmes was being considered for this secret team and it was likely James Proudstar was as well, he was strong enough to take on Juggernaut and fearless in battle. He'd worked with them before despite the fact he held Xavier responsible for his brother's death and he'd agreed to return to the institute in the spring after he'd settled a family matter. It was one thing to send Wolverine and Angel on blood soaked, black-ops missions, but DireWulf, X-23 and Warpath were all younger than she was and she couldn't support this decision, if it had actually been made.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Holmes and Kurt were just getting finished loading the helicopter when Logan and the others arrived. "Rahne, promise me you'll be careful out there..." He said.

"Mike, this is th' hardest decision I've ever made….but I cannae bear th thought of wha' they're doin tae th mutants they've captured, I ha' tae do something." She answered.

Logan and Laura took a moment to brief the others on their plan as they got strapped in and the engine started. The base was sure to have an elaborate security system since it once held a nuclear missile. Logan knew there would be sensors everywhere, capable of detecting movement and even vibration from footsteps. As sophisticated as the security system was, Kurt could teleport past it with Logan to search the base for the armored suits and guards. Laura and Kitty would check the subterranean sections of the base for the prisoners and the rest of the troops. Finally, Holmes and Rahne should be able to search the surrounding area for armed patrols and booby traps without being seen. It almost sounded simple, but they knew there was absolutely no room for error, this mission would be almost as dangerous as their battle with Apocalypse.

"I never wanted this..." Xavier said as he stared out the window, watching Logan and his team take off. "I never intended to create a fighting team...I built this place so people like Rahne and Kurt could live without being persecuted, so people like Logan and Tabitha could put their lives back together..."

"I know Charles, I know..." Ororo said as she stood beside him.

"I shouldn't have let them go...they're children..."

"They'd have gone anyway...and Scott was right, they aren't children anymore...with the world the way it is, they can't be children anymore...they have to fight." She told him.


	9. Chapter 9: The Crucible

**Chapter 9: The Crucible**

'_I hope he's ready for this'_ Cyclops thought as he watched DireWulf disappear into the dark forest surrounding the clearing where they had hidden the helicopter and the Blackbird. DireWulf and Wolfsbane had succeeded in discovering several booby traps near the base's security perimeter the night before, and they had also discovered a group of ten RIGHT troopers patrolling the area around the base. Wolverine had given DireWulf the assignment of taking them out so the team wouldn't be attacked from behind, but Cyclops was beginning to have his doubts; after all, DireWulf had never been in a fight like this before. If he slipped up and let the troopers warn the others, the attack would be over before it even started; that was a lot of pressure to put on anybody, especially the new guy.

"You guys better get going...we'll be right behind you." He said. NightCrawler grabbed Shadow Cat and X23 and teleported them to the base's perimeter, some two miles away. Cyclops motioned for the rest of the team to follow and he, Jean and Cannonball lead them out of the camp toward the base.

"Everybody clear on the plan?" Jean asked. Everyone nodded, but she used her telepathy to go over it one last time; there was no room for error tonight. NightCrawler would teleport X23 and Shadow Cat into the base, from there X23 would enter through the ventilation system, take out the troopers guarding the prisoners and seal the only door leading to the area of the base the RIGHT had converted into a prison. Once she had secured the area, the rest of the team would be teleported inside one of the abandoned buildings on the base. From there, Wolverine would lead a team consisting of Cyclops, Colossus, Gambit, Cannonball, Storm, Beast, and DireWulf to take out the armored suits and deal with the RIGHT troopers on the surface. Jean would lead a team consisting of Wolfsbane, Spyke, Havok, Iceman, and NightCrawler and attack the command center of the base after they were teleported inside. Shadow Cat would phase Boom Boom, Sunspot, Magma, Rogue and Berzeker into the base and attack the remaining troopers and the command center, after freeing X23, who would lead the team. Multiple and Jubilee were being left behind to act as spotters and keep Wolverine updated on the troopers movements during the battle. Xavier would remain onboard the Blackbird and monitor their activities, he would coordinate the attack by monitoring each teams progress and issuing orders so that the three teams could work in unison.

Cyclops and the others were just getting into position when he heard his communicator crackle to life. "X23 to base...first objective reached...standing by." "Do you copy?"

"Yes, standby." Xavier answered.

"DireWulf, status report."

"They don't have a clue." He said, as he watched the patrol pass by on the opposite edge of a clearing in the forest.

* * *

"Alpha, go." Xavier ordered, giving X23 the signal to attack. She kicked the screen out of the air vent and leaped out onto the trooper below, impaling him through the lungs with her claws so he wouldn't be able to scream. His partner heard the noise when the screen hit the floor and came out their command post to investigate. When he saw him lying in a puddle blood he panicked turned back to the room he'd just left, only to find X23 standing in the doorway.

"Forget this?" she asked, holding up his radio.

He grabbed for his pistol, but she slashed his throat "Alpha, clear" she said, as he sank to the floor, choking on his own blood. She ran to the door and melted the lock from the inside, the RIGHT would have to use C4 to get at the prisoners now. She'd have to wait for Shadow Cat to get her out, once she phased the others inside. She just hoped they wouldn't run into any armored troopers, in these narrow hallways they'd be even more dangerous.

* * *

**The Forest**

Meanwhile, in the forest, DireWulf was still tracking his prey. He was having a hard time keeping the wolf at bay, it longed to hunt these men; it was instinct. He was close now, about fifteen feet off the trail, creeping through the bushes and the patrol still didn't realize he was there, they were trying to relieve the cold and the boredom and were chattering among themselves.

"Hey Davis, you ever get that mutie bitch to talk last night?"

"No, she's pretty tough, damn near busted my knuckles beatin her, messed her up real bad, but she just kept whining and crying that she didn't know nothin." "I'm gonna take this rifle-butt to her tonight if she still won't talk."

"You boys ought to let me handle her!" the one in the back snickered, making a vulgar gesture.

"You're sick Hendricks..." Snorted the leader.

"Hey...I'm just doin my part to save the world" he joked, several of the others joined him, laughing.

'_You won't think you're so damn funny in a minute,'_ DireWulf thought, trying not to jump the gun and attack now. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got...filthy bastards, they were as bad as the Taliban, they were human trash just like Saddam and he would deal with them appropriately.

"Bravo, go." He charged down the trail after them, the "funny" man at the rear heard a noise; he managed to yell to the others and get off a few shots before being ripped open by the charging werewolf. Most of the rounds were stopped by DireWulf's vest, but a few hit his right arm while another tore into his shoulder. The others heard the gunfire, but had no time to react before the enraged beast was on them, slashing wildly. Blood splattered on the snow, as DireWulf tore into them with his razor sharp claws, he was already furious and being shot didn't improve his mood. The leader tried to raise his weapon and fire on the creature, but he was knocked to the ground by one of his own men, sent sprawling by the angry wolf man. He reached for his radio to alert the base, but DireWulf stomped his hand, crushing it under his 500+ pounds. The man looked up and screamed at the sight of glowing eyes and glistening fangs as DireWulf smashed him in the head. He stood over him for a moment, savoring the look in their eyes when he had attacked; it was terror ...pure, heart stopping terror...good. He pressed the communicator to his throat.

"Bravo, clear." He broke their radios before racing off to meet up with Wolverine and the strike team. He didn't care that he had killed that scum-bag at the rear, he didn't care if any of 'em died anymore, the reality of the situation had set in and it was sobering. A few months ago, he had been just your average high school senior (well, almost average) who's most pressing concerns were passing math and chasing girls, now he was part of the first, last, and only line of defense in a secret war being fought for the survival of all mutants. Some people deserved to die, he thought, they had tortured an innocent kid, because a few mutants like Magneto had caused trouble, they were evil.

Sure, Magneto was a monster, in fact he was a genocidal maniac, but who had made him that way? Human genocidal maniacs... they were the monsters who had killed six million people before the world even noticed, they had gassed villages full of old women and children, and now more of the devils were lurking in that God-forsaken hole in the ground, planning more murders. They didn't need an excuse to hate mutants, Magneto and Apocalypse were just convenient scapegoats. He thought about his family, would these guys go after them for having a mutant son? What if his sister manifested? Would they torture her too?...he knew they would...they would torture and kill his family and all the X-men if they could. He thought about Wolfsbane, already in that base, what if... _'No!'_ he thought _'She's been trained by the best...'_

"Charlie, go." Xavier ordered. NightCrawler began to teleport the team into one of the abandoned barracks on the East side of the base. Once they were all inside, Shadow Cat grabbed her teammates and phased them through the floor, into the base below. NightCrawler was about to teleport Jean's team to the opposite side of the base when Jubilee raised the alarm.

* * *

**The Base**

"Wolverine! The armored suits are starting to come out!" She yelled into the communicator.

"Shit!" Wolverine roared. "Get movin !" he yelled to Jean's team. "If we're quick we can nail 'em before they get their defense set up! "

NightCrawler grabbed Jean's team and teleported as Wolverine unsheathed his claws "X, light 'em up!" he barked into the communicator, she flipped the switch of her detonator, exploding the bombs she and Shadow Cat had planted the night before and plunging the base into darkness. "We gotta go now! We can't wait for DireWulf!" he yelled to his team as he cut through the door and charged out to face the RIGHT.

Inside the base, it was utter chaos, X23's bombs had knocked out the lights and the emergency power was just kicking in when Jean's team teleported inside. The chaos intensified as the RIGHT found itself faced with a second group of mutants in addition to the ones that had just been reported near the holding cells. To make matters worse for them, some of the doors had been jammed by the explosions, making movement and reinforcement nearly impossible. Despite being greatly out numbered, the X-men were decimating the RIGHT, after all this wasn't that different from a morning practice session in the danger room.

Jean hurled a psionic blast at a group of troopers, sending them crashing into the wall as Wolfsbane and NightCrawler attacked a second group. NightCrawler's teleporting attack and slashing swords threw them into a mad panic as Wolfsbane attacked with her razor-edged claws, in seconds, they were all badly injured and unable to fight. More troopers charged down the hallway in a futile attempt to stop the X-men from reaching the command center, but they were met by a blinding flash of red light as Havok blasted them with his force beams. The blast was so strong that several of them were knocked off their feet, turning a complete flip in the air before hitting the ground, as the rest opened fire they were met by flaming spikes and several ice blasts that cleared the way to the command center.

"What the hell is going in out there?! Report!" the base commander screamed into the radio. He had lost contact with his forces on the surface and he knew there were at least two groups of mutants closing in on him. "Damn it Lieutenant! I said report!" he yelled as another explosion shook the base.

"We can't stop 'em, we need back up...Aieeeeee!" he screamed as X23 rammed her claws through his chest.

"You're next." she hissed into the radio. Behind her, Sunspot ripped a steel door off its hinges and hurled it at a group of three troopers, pinning them under it with multiple broken bones as Boom Boom and Magma beat several more senseless. Shadow Cat phased through the wall behind the last group with Rogue and Berzerker and they made short work of the troopers.

"Get ready!" the commander ordered his men, four armored troopers took up position at the two doors leading into the command center as the rest of the troopers spread out and trained their guns on the doors.

Without warning, both sets of doors were torn off their hinges by Jean's psionic blast and Boom Boom's bombs. NightCrawler teleported Havok, Spyke and Wolfsbane into the room, taking the troopers completely by surprise, as Shadow Cat phased trough the floor with Boom Boom, Magma and Rogue. In the chaos, the armored troopers opened fire, hitting some of their own men in the process; Jean quickly extended her psionic shields around the X-men closest to her and used her powers to bend the barrels of the trooper's vulcan gun as he fired at her. Shadow Cat phased trough him, shorting out his armor. Havok blasted another one and knocked him off his feet, Wolfsbane pounced and tore the auto-cannon off his shoulder before he react. The trooper used the suits enhanced strength to slap Wolfsbane away, but Iceman used his powers to freeze him to the floor. Across the room, X23 tore a third armored trooper apart with her claws, although she took several hits in the process.

The fourth armored trooper had Rogue and Berzerker pinned down when Spyke came to their aid, he managed to jam the ammo belt with one of his flaming spikes, but he forgot about the superhuman strength of the suit as he moved in to finish it off. The trooper used his jet boosters and raced forward, catching Spyke with an uppercut, sending him flying and knocking him out cold. Sunspot charged and slammed his fist into the trooper's chest plate, denting it and sending the armored monster crashing into the wall. Sunspot followed him in and knocked his helmet off with a second punch. Spyke hit the ground in front of two of the remaining RIGHT troopers, who took aim at their helpless victim. Magma was left with no alternative, she ran and hurled a fireball at the troopers and watched in horror as they were engulfed in flames. Jean snatched Spyke to safety with her powers as both troopers collapsed, screaming and still in flames; NightCrawler teleported, snatched a fire extinguisher off the wall and snuffed the flames. Both of them were horribly burned and he didn't know whether they would live or not

As the commander escaped into the elevator, an armored trooper charged out and backhanded Boom Boom, who was chasing him. Wolfsbane snarled in anger and leaped onto the trooper as he took aim at Boom Boom, tearing into his armor and causing it to malfunction. The trooper fired his jet boosters, tackling Wolfsbane into the wall and pining her against it with his weight. He laughed wickedly, thinking he'd killed her, but Wolfsbane slammed her fist into his side and knocked him off her.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the surface, DireWulf had made good time getting back to the base after his battle with the patrol, but as he drew near, he was met with the hellish roar of Vulcan guns and explosions. He charged to the aid of his teammates, praying he hadn't screwed up and alerted the RIGHT. Colossus grabbed Wolverine and hurled him at one of the armored troopers, the force of the impact sent the trooper crashing through the wall of the barracks as Wolverine gouged his claws into him. Colossus turned and charged another trooper that had opened fire on him, while Storm electrocuted several unarmored troopers with her lighting bolts. Gambits acrobatic fury and Cyclops devastating optic blasts decimated another group, while Cannonball blasted another armored trooper, knocking every system in the suit off-line. Beast had torn the gun mount off of one of the suits and was busy beating him with it when one of his buddies stepped put from behind a burning Humvee and took aim at him. As Beast leaped onto the wall to avoid the gun fire, the trooper turned and screamed in terror as DireWulf leaped through the flames and tore into him with his deadly claws.

The X-men barely had time to catch their breath before they were attacked again by a second group of armored suits, more heavily armed than the first and under the command of the RIGHT's best pilot. His suit was armed with a rocket launcher and he immediately blasted Colossus, sending him flying. Storm tried to attack with her lightning, but another trooper trapped her in stasis goo. Gambit charged his staff with his explosive energy and hurled it into the suit with the stasis goo, blowing it up. The other troopers opened fire with their auto-cannons and charged forward with their jet boosters, driving the X-men back. Suddenly the troopers were blinded by what appeared to be fire works as they came under attack by an army of Multiple's clones. The troopers easily destroyed most of the clones with their guns, but it was just the distraction the X-men needed. DireWulf, Wolverine, Gambit and Beast each attacked an armored suit, while Cyclops blasted two more. Multiple charged the leader with a group of his clones, but the leader fired another rocket, destroying the clones and sending Multiple flying from the force of the explosion. DireWulf hurled his trooper through the wall of the command center and raced to where Multiple had collapsed in the snow. Rather than finish him off, the leader laughed like a fiend and disappeared into the smoke behind him, DireWulf looked up as a sentinel flew up out of the missile silo and fired several missiles at he and Multiple. DireWulf thought he was dead and he tried to shield Multiple, even though he knew it wouldn't do any good. Cyclops blasted the missiles out of the air at the last second and the pressure wave from the blast sent both he and DireWulf sprawling. The sentinel landed and deployed its weapon systems, as the first one had done when faced with multiple targets. As the sentinel unleashed a hellish storm of laser fire on the mutants, Cannonball streaked across the battlefield and smashed into the sentinel's back, blasting a gaping hole trough its chest as he came crashing to the ground at Cyclops feet.

"Guess there's hope fer us scrubs after all...huh Cyclops?" he asked as he got to his feet, behind him the sentinel collapsed in flames. They were suddenly startled by a scream and they turned to see Colossus emerge from the smoke and slam the leader of the armored troopers to the ground. He grabbed him by his ankle and slammed him against the ground again, before tearing the rocket launcher off his suit and throwing him at Wolverines feet.

"Sick freak…" Wolverine muttered as he looked down at the suits helmet, the deviant had painted a huge smiley face on the faceplate, probably his sick idea of psychological warfare. He stabbed him trough the heart with his claws and turned to the others. "Come on We gotta help the others " He yelled. Cyclops ran to the hole DireWulf had knocked in the wall of the command center and blasted a hole trough the floor to the base beneath. Jean and X23's teams had already finished off the last of the RIGHT troopers when they arrived. It was a scene of utter devastation, mangled armored suits and injured troopers lying everywhere, explosive damage and quite a bit of smoke in the air from the fires. Wolverine's team immediately went to the aid of their injured teammates and DireWulf was by Wolfsbane's side in an instant.

"How bad is it?!"

"I'll be fine ye great hairy oaf..." Wolfsbane whispered as she took his hand.

"Doc! Get over here!" he yelled, Beast examined her for a moment, he was confident she would be all right, but he needed to get she and the others back to the mansion as soon as possible. He contacted the professor and asked him to land the X-Jet outside so he could load the wounded X-men and prisoners on it. He turned his attention to Boom Boom who was a still unconscious after being hit by the trooper. The other X-men began to search the area for whoever was in charge and any troops that might remain. NightCrawler stayed with Beast so he could teleport the others out to the Blackbird when it arrived.

"Ya got more guts than sense sometimes...ya know that?" DireWulf muttered as he looked at the damage Wolfsbane had done to the armored suit. Those things had been a challenge for him and was a lot stronger than she was.

"Aye...now go and help th others...I'll be alright."

"I'll take care of her DireWulf, go help Wolverine and Colossus tear the doors down so we can get the prisoners out." Beast ordered as he continued to treat Boom Boom's injuries. Colossus had already torn the doors down when DireWulf arrived, several of the younger X-men were about to go in when X23 stopped them.

"There's things in there they don't need to see..." she said as she turned to Wolverine. He sniffed the air for a moment...he could smell death.

"Colossus, Gambit, Cyclops, Wolf-man...you get the prisoners out...don't let the younger ones go in there." he ordered. Wolverine and X23 went inside and got Angel out, he looked like hell after being beaten up by the troopers, but he was the lucky one. Colossus walked in and tore the first cell door off its hinges, no one was inside...they would only find four other prisoners in the complex, only three were alive. Cyclops found the dead prisoner, he looked like he might have been about 20, it was hard to tell, he had been beaten to death...the sight was appalling...the kind of thing you never forget. Cyclops almost went into shock; he hadn't been prepared for such an act of barbarism...none of them had; only Wolverine and X23 seemed to have believed it could come to this.

"Shit...that's nasty..." DireWulf muttered as he looked in the cell. He didn't really know why he had said it, he felt like screaming and he was trying to get a hold of himself. He knew he had to bury feelings like that in battle, they had no place here.

"Go away..." Cyclops growled, he had just thrown up and the sight of DireWulf's blood splattered uniform made him ill again.

"Get a hold of yerself, these people need help, ya can be sick later." DireWulf said, as much for his own benefit as Cyclops'

"Are you even human?!" Cyclops yelled as he punched DireWulf in the face, knocking him against the wall and cutting his cheek open. DireWulf got angry and slammed Cyclops against the opposite wall, he was almost at his breaking point as well.

"Get th fuck off me!" he yelled. "This is WAR! Ya should have been prepared fer this th minute ya saw that first sentinel!" "Look at him!" he yelled again, pointing at the corpse "Its only gonna get worse!" "These people want us dead! Its time you and Xavier realized that!"

They both watched as Gambit draped his trench coat over the body and carried it out, while Colossus carried out two more who were too injured to walk. DireWulf took a breath and tried to calm himself. "We have to be strong fer th others Cyclops, go tell them what we're dealing with, make 'em understand that we have t' fight now...they'll listen to you...I'll get th last one..."

"You know, this is one time I wish I wasn't the leader here." Cyclops said.

"Well...you are and ya better act like it." DireWulf answered.

DireWulf walked to the last cell door, morphed, and tore it off its hinges. He turned human before he went in, not wanting to traumatize whoever might be in there any further. The room was dark, but he stepped in and saw a teenage girl, about Rahne's age, but taller and with green hair. She was badly hurt, but still managed to crawl into a corner, trying to get away. This must have been the girl those bastards outside were talking about, she had to be, she had been brutally beaten. DireWulf could see she had a broken arm, nose, and maybe a broken jaw. One of her eyes was swelled shut and her whole face was swollen, black and blue, she probably had broken ribs as well.

"I won't hurt ya...I'm a mutant too." he said quietly as he took a step toward her.

"No more...please...I don't know...I already told you everything..." she whimpered as she hid her face in the corner. She was obviously traumatized, she thought he was one of them and he knew he shouldn't go near her since he was splattered with blood. He went out to find Jean, she could reach her with her mind, maybe she could calm her down enough to move her and get her some help.

As he stepped out of the cellblock, a gun barrel was thrust to the side of his head, he looked over to see a soldier standing next to him; some of his buddies were standing around the corpse and the prisoners. _'Damn,'_ he thought, _'that stench from the cells overpowered their scent...'_

These weren't regular Army soldiers, or any special forces unit he had ever heard of...they all wore unit patches that had "M.R.D." written on them and there were several armored suits with the M.R.D. symbol stamped on them as well. He really didn't give a damn who they were or why they were here, all he wanted was to get these people some help.

"Move, son" the soldier said as he poked DireWulf in the back of the head.

"I ain't yer son, boy." he snapped as he walked over to the X-men, now standing in a group eyeing the M.R.D. troops. He looked over at Wolverine and their leader, who were now at each others throats.

"Just who the hell are you? " Wolverine yelled.

"Cameron Hodge, Executive director of the Mutant Response Division." he said coldly.

"M.R.D.?" Xavier asked suspiciously as he got off the elevator and rolled toward Hodge.

"Yes, the governments answer to the "mutant threat" He replied. "Mutant super criminals and crimes against mutants all fall under our jurisdiction." "We've been after the RIGHT for over a year now...thanks to you and your damn vigilante X-men we've lost our chance at capturing their leader and finding out how he managed to get his hands on M.R.D. technology." he fumed, pointing at one of the armored suits.

"Mr. Hodge...are you aware I can tell when people are lying to me." Xavier said coldly. Hodge was about to answer when DireWulf cut him off.

"There's another prisoner in there, ya think ya could stop bitchin at us long enough to help her!?"

"Don't tell me my job kid! You're in over your head here!"

"I know exactly what I'm into! One look under that coat is enough proof fer anybody!" DireWulf yelled back.

"DireWulf! Thats enough!" Xavier ordered "He has a point Hodge, this is an atrocity." "Just what are you going to do about it?"

"We can have a pissing contest later bub, these people need medical attention, so if ya don't mind, we'll be leaving now." Wolverine growled as Nightcrawler teleported to get the girl Holmes had freed.

"Get out of here! And consider yourselves damn lucky I don't have you all locked up!" Hodge ordered. Xavier and most of the X-men helped their wounded brothers and sisters and the prisoners onto the Blackbird and Beast set course for home, leaving Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Colossus, and DireWulf to deal with M.R.D.

"This is a Federal matter, RIGHT is our responsibility...you don't need to concern yourself with it...in fact, it would be in your best interest to forget everything you saw here." Hodge said.

"Yeah, I'll do that...and I'll sleep a lot better knowing an incompetent bean counter, who can't even keep up with his own equipment, is keeping these kids safe." Wolverine growled. Hodge eyed him coldly as he turned to leave, but he didn't want to press the issue, he knew Wolverine could tell he was lying too...

The X-men were walking out when a medic entered, presumably to see to the injured RIGHT prisoners. "Sir, we found ten more casualties in the woods, one was slashed to death and another one has severe brain damage. The others should pull through...the cold kept them from bleeding out, but they'll probably be crippled for life." he said. Hodge nodded and turned to speak to one of his commanders. "...it looked like some kind of mad animal did it." The medic muttered, still unnerved by what he had seen.

"Dire? ...you alright?" Colossus asked. DireWulf looked down at his hands, which were still stained with blood and then he thought about that girl, he would never be able to forget the pain and terror he saw in her eyes.

"He needed killin." he said coldly as he walked out into the darkness.

"Leave him alone." Wolverine said as they walked outside and followed DireWulf. No one said a word as they hiked trough the snow for almost an half an hour before reaching the helicopter, by that time the others were already back at the institute. While Cyclops and the others were inside loading the gear and warming up the engine, DireWulf walked behind the helicopter and threw up...the sight of that body...it was nasty as hell... _'nobody ought to have to see somethin like that,'_ he thought. He composed himself and got in, giving Wolverine the signal to take off.


	10. Chapter 10: No Turning Back

**Chapter 10: No Turning Back**

It was 3:00am Saturday morning before Logan and the others arrived back at the mansion, most of the students were exhausted and sleeping when they returned, a few were too traumatized to sleep and Xavier and Ororo were still up counseling them, they were having to spend extra time with Amara. Even though she had saved Spyke and both of the troopers were expected to live, she was still upset and Holmes knew exactly how she felt...he also knew the professor would probably want him to talk to her about it, he just hoped he could help...she had always seemed scared of him, even before he had told them what he had done. Remy went to find Rogue, and Scott to find Jean.

All of the X-men had been injured in the battle, but most had been released back to their own beds, Hank was still in the infirmary, watching over the RIGHT's victims and the remaining X-Men. Tabitha had been treated for a minor concussion and Hank decided to keep her in the infirmary till morning, she was sleeping as well. Sam was asleep in a chair near her bed, it was obvious he was shaken by the thought that she might have been badly hurt and he would remain with her the rest of the night. Logan looked in on them, spoke to Hank for a moment and left, Holmes was about to follow when he saw Rahne in one of the isolation beds.

"What th hell ?! I thought ya said she'd be fine ...what's wrong with her!?" Holmes asked, as loud as he could without waking the others.

"Nothing serious, Holmes...at least not for her...she had some internal injuries, I had to be sure she wouldn't start bleeding." Hank explained. "Her healing factor is taking care of it...it's just not as fast as yours and I don't want her moving around, aggravating her injuries, and slowing down the process." He said. "I gave her something to help her sleep...she'll be up and around by tomorrow afternoon." Holmes gave a sigh of relief and collapsed in the chair next to her bed.

"Holmes, I said she'll be fine, you can go get some sleep, I know you need it."

"I'm staying with her Doc."

"Oh, very well, perhaps I can treat you as well?" he said looking at the red marks on his arm and the hole in the shoulder of his uniform.

"Don't need it Doc, the vest caught most of the rounds and the ones that hit are healed up already."

"Fine, but if you're going to stay, get out of that filthy uniform...it's a major health hazard with that blood on it." Hank said as he pushed Holmes out of her room.

* * *

Holmes cleaned himself up and then sat, watching her sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning both Sam and Tabitha came to check on them before they went upstairs to eat, they asked him to come with them, but he refused to leave Rahne. It was almost 10:30am before Rahne waked, Holmes had been fighting sleep for hours and had almost given up; he had only slept two hours in the past two days.

"Hey shuga..." he said weakly, as she opened her eyes and smiled back at him

"Hey...have ye been tae bed yet? Ye look terrible."

"No, and I feel terrible...I just wanted to be sure you were ok." he muttered.

"I'll be fine...ye didnae have tae sit wit' me...but I'm glad ye did."

"I love you and I just had to know you were ok." He told her.

"I love ye too…ye know tha'." She said as she sat up and hugged him. "Mike, yui're dead tired, hungry, and ye need a shower...go on, I'll be fine, ye can comeback in a few hours, I'll be wanting yuir company then" she said, as she stroked his cheek.

* * *

Holmes went and took another shower, it took over an hour to get the lingering smell of blood off him; then he passed out on his bed for a few hours. He spent the evening with Rahne and by dinner time she was well enough to eat with the rest of the group. Hank still wanted Rahne to sleep in the infirmary one more night and Holmes stayed there with her until she was asleep. It was late when he finally emerged and most of the others were sleeping, but he didn't feel like joining them, he walked out into the hallway and stared out the window into the darkness. There was a whole world out there that hated and feared him, and everyone else in the institute, after what he had seen he wondered if Magneto might not have been right. _'No'_ he thought after a moment _'Magneto is just as bad as the damn RIGHT...I don't want to be anything like them._'

He was still at the window when he heard someone coming down the hall, he immediately recognized the scent. "What did ya'll decide?" he asked as Jean walked up behind him.

"About what?" she asked.

"Are ya'll gonna throw me out?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "The thought never crossed anyone's mind...believe me, I know." she reassured him.

"I understand now, why you didn't want to talk about it, but we're a family and you have to know you can trust us." she said. "Holmes, a lot of the others have had something awful happen to them too, we all help each other deal with it when it hurts too much...I know you talk to Rahne about things...but you can talk to the rest of us too..."

"Thanks Jean..." he whispered. "It's not that I didn't trust ya'll...I was afraid you'd be scared of me if you knew I could do that..."

"We'd only be scared if you enjoyed it." she told him. She stood there, talking with him a while longer before Scott walked up, she knew he and Holmes needed to come to terms over what had happened in that cellblock so she left them to settle the matter. She paused at the end of the hall and looked back at them, she was glad she hadn't gone in there with them that night, none of them had been the same after they came back out.

"Look, about last night..."

"Holmes, its ok...we were both under a lot of stress. Hell, I should apologize for hitting you." Scott said, still angry with himself for his outburst.

"I had it coming." Holmes admitted. "Listen, I said a lot of things I shouldn't have...I...I want ya to know I think yer doin a hell of a job leading th X-Men and I know how seriously ya take it. You probably worry about all of us th way I worry about Rahne and Tabby..."

"Yeah, I do...and, thanks. I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from and why I ride you guys asses the way I do."

* * *

**The Next Day**

After a late lunch the next day, Rahne couldn't stand to be stuck in the house anymore, she and Holmes took a walk out in the woods surrounding the institute. The others were all seeking comfort and understanding with their significant others, if they had any, and Rahne and Holmes were no exception. Holmes sat down on a large rock and Rahne sat down beside him, but he scooped her up and held her close. They sat together in silence for a while, grateful for each others company. It was very cold out and it made Rahne's injuries hurt even more, but she was so glad to be outside she didn't complain.

"Ya still hurtin?" he asked after a while.

"Aye...I wish I had yuir healing factor."

"Have to settle fer this" he said as he gave her a back rub. Rahne sighed in relief as she felt the tension leave her, after few minuets, she leaned back against his chest and snuggled into his thick leather jacket. Holmes grew strangely quite and she looked up into his eyes, they didn't seem focused on anything in particular, but he had that look he got when he saw something he didn't like.

"Th others said ye saw somethin awful in tha prison...can ye talk about it?...it might help."

"It might, but you don't need to deal with shit like that...it was horrible."

"Mike, I need tae know, I'm in this wit' ye...we cannae let such a thing happen again...I want tae know."

"Ye've shared muh pain, let me help ye carry yuir's."

He held her even closer and told her everything, about how he had heard those men talk about torturing that girl, about how badly she had been hurt by them, and about how she had reminded him a little of her. He told her about the man that they had tortured to death, and about how he had nearly gone mad and lost control at the sight of such barbarism. Finally, he told her how frustrated and angry he was that they hadn't been able to do more to help the victims; their lives had been destroyed and he almost felt guilty that he could sit there with her while they were still suffering. She sat and listened to it all and did her best to comfort him, but in the end though, all they could do was pray about it and ask God's guidance. The war with the humans had finally begun and while neither of them wished to be involved in it, they both knew their duty.

"I wish we didnae ha' tae do this...tha we could jus' be normal...together...is tha wrong?" she asked.

"No, but you're right, we have to fight fer th others."

"Promise me ye will always talk tae me when yui're hurting...its nae good tae keep terrible things like tha inside...I know" "Matt, I know its nae easy fer ye tae admit things hurt ye, but I love ye" she told him.

"I love ya too shuga, I promise I'll always come to ya when I need help, and I'll always stand by ya when you do." Holmes said quietly. "Rahne I'll never do anything to hurt ya, embarrass ya, or make ya ashamed of me, you're too important." Rahne smiled and kissed him, they both sat and held each other as they watched the snow begin to fall again; whatever was coming, they would face it together.

* * *

Xavier sat in his office deep in thought, the X-men had dealt a serious blow to the RIGHT, but they hadn't put an end to them as they had hoped. They still had no idea who was in charge, or where they were conducting their experiments. The fact that they had stolen M.R.D. weapons designs was troubling enough, but the appearance of M.R.D. itself raised more questions than answers. Hodge troubled him the most, he was one of the few humans who had a natural resistance to telepaths, Xavier knew he was lying, but he was unsure as to exactly what he was hiding. As far as Xavier was concerned M.R.D. was a threat, every bit as dangerous as the RIGHT because of their official status. There would soon be many more mutants attending the institute when the new semester started in January and Xavier was determined than none of them should have to live in fear any longer. He was already taking steps to upgrade the security system, but he knew more drastic measures were necessary. His latest decision, however, hadn't been well received by either the instructors, or the students and Piotr had even threatened to quit. Still, given the situation they were faced with, Xavier felt he needed a different perspective on the matter if the worst should happen and he hoped that despite all their differences this temporary truce might show Eric what they could accomplish if they worked together.

"Welcome home old friend..." he said as the windows swung open and Magneto floated into the room.


	11. Chapter 11: Meltdown

**Chapter 11: Meltdown**

**(One Month Later)**

"That th best ya got fluffy?!" Tabitha taunted as she blocked Holmes' punch and slammed a roundhouse kick into his jaw, nearly knocking him down.

"Don't call me fluffy!" He yelled as he leaped forward and tried to hit her with a snap kick, she flipped out of the way and eyed him coldly as they resumed their sparring match. Holmes silently cussed himself for kicking too hard; that would have hurt her if it had hit. He wasn't sparring Logan or Laura; they always went full contact with him because of their healing factor; Tabitha didn't have that advantage and he had to be more careful. She was his best friend and while he knew she was tough as nails, he couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. Still, it was hard to hold back, Tabitha was hitting as hard as she could and she was proving to be more of a challenge than he had thought she'd be. Holmes regained his focus and reminded himself why he had agreed to train with her, after the battle with the RIGHT Tabitha had changed, she'd become ferocious in battle, and picked a new codename to match. She needed to train with someone who would push her to her limit and who didn't mind taking a beating in the process.

"By th way, yer accents slippin." Holmes said as she came at him again. That had the desired effect and broke her concentration for a split second, he took advantage and tripped her with a sweep kick, knocking her flat of her back on the mat.

"Ya wanna fight dirty huh?!" Tabitha snapped as she jumped up, only to have Holmes catch her in a submission hold and slam her back down on the mat.

"Ya asked fer it." He hissed as he tightened his grip on her arm and pressed his knee against her throat, she was forced to tap out and he let her go.

"Damn..where'd ya learn that one fluffy?" Tabitha coughed.

"Watchin wrestling last night..." Holmes joked as he helped her up.

"I'm gonna kick yer ass next time…" she said as they walked over and sat down in the corner to catch their breath.

"Bullshit…but you're gettin better everyday." He admitted. Her power had increased drastically now that she was putting 110% effort into her training; Holmes was impressed, but he was also concerned; he didn't want to see this darker aspect of his friend's personality spread from the battlefield to the rest of her life. Holmes had almost given in and let himself be consumed by his anger after the battle with the RIGHT, if Rahne hadn't been there for him, he might be a totally different man today. He was sure Tabitha and Sam had talked and been there for each other, just as he and Rahne had, but he needed to get this off his chest.

"Tabby…I never talked about this to anybody but Rahne..." Holmes said, seeing he had her attention, he continued. "After that last mission I was angry, Jamie could have been killed, you and Rahne got hurt, and fer what!? We couldn't do a damn thing fer those people we found." "Fer a minute there, I almost forgot who I was…I'm ashamed I'm not a stronger person, but I had Rahne to remind who I was and what I believed…. I didn't give in like Magneto."

"Ya think I'm going to?" she asked.

"Hell no, but you're too much like me fer me to just let it go..." He said. "I know you've talked to Sam and Rahne and if ya don't wanna talk to me...I'll understand, but you're ma friend, ya were there fer me from day one and I'm here fer you." Tabitha was touched to say the least, it had taken a lot for him to swallow his pride and tell her that, even if she was his best friend. She dropped her "tough-girl" act and sat and talked with Holmes until she had put his concerns to rest, she was angry and confused just like he was, but like he and Rahne and Sam, she found the strength in her faith to deal with it. Holmes was relieved that she was every bit as strong as he thought she was and he thanked God for his guidance and for bringing Rahne into Tabitha's life. Holmes got up and started to roll the foam padding up that they had been sparring on, Tabitha came to help him and it wasn't long before they were back to "normal" or as close as they ever were to it.

"I gotta go, you and Sam don't fight over th dirty magazines while we're gone." She teased, as she looked at her watch and headed for the locker room, she and Rahne had plans for the evening that didn't involve Sam and Holmes and she really needed a shower.

Holmes laughed and threw one of his gloves at her. "He can have 'em this time….I gotta get outta this house, tell the others I'm in th woods before ya leave."

"What do ya do when ya go out there?" She asked.

"I gotta let this thing out…" Holmes muttered.

"Just remember, that thing a'int th real you." Tabitha said, dead serious again

"Yeah...thanks." He answered as she disappeared into the locker room. Danielle Moonstar came out as she was going in and they spoke briefly. Danielle had been with the New Mutants before, but had to leave for personal reasons. Kitty was thrilled to have her back, they had been friends a long time and it looked like Danielle might finally be beginning to patch things up with Rahne. He didn't know the details but he knew they'd had an awful fight before she left and their friendship was completely destroyed.

"What happened to Tabitha's voice?" she asked Holmes.

"Livin with these damn yankees fer so long corrupted her..." Holmes muttered. "She used to suppress her accent…I guess she was ashamed of it...but after spending Christmas with Sam and his family, she's not so self-conscious about it anymore."

"She's southern too?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah….if ya can still call Roanoke, Virginia th south." Holmes answered.

"How come none of you guys sound the same?" Danielle asked. She had a point, Rogue had that stereotypical accent that was nothing like Tabitha's real voice, and Holmes….well she'd never met anybody that sounded quite like him; Sam sure didn't.

"Well, not all of us marry our sisters….I only dated mine." Holmes said with his usual sarcastic wit. Danielle gave him a look and started to walk past him.

"You don't mind getting hit like that?" She asked, noticing the ugly bruise on the side of Holmes' face from Tabitha's boot.

"No, she can break ma jaw if it'll help her survive in a real fight…besides I'll be fine in an hour or so." Holmes said as he loosened the buckles on his armored vest. "Listen Danielle, there was a time when most of us didn't take this training so seriously….then we met th RIGHT."

Danielle's face darkened at the mention of their name. "I understand." she said emphatically. "When you have a nightmare, so do I." She added, sensing that he didn't quite believe her.

"Then ya know we have t' do whatever it takes." Holmes said as he left Mirage in the danger room and headed for the elevator. Danielle nodded in silent agreement and started to target practice with her psionic arrows. She might not have been back long, but she understood far more than he realized, she understood why Tabitha, once a notorious slacker, had become Meltdown and why she fought so hard, why Rahne kept on fighting even though she seemed too innocent and sweet to stand against madmen, and she had shared the sickening horror of both Scott and Holmes when they had blasted open those cell doors.

* * *

The elevator doors opened and Holmes stepped out onto the ground floor of the institute _'Damn it Bobby….ya said ya were gonna watch 'em.'_ he thought as he heard the commotion coming from the common room. An energy bolt suddenly blasted through the door and fizzled out on the opposite wall; he knew he better do something now, while the institute was still standing.

"Settle down ya little brats!" Holmes bellowed with mock indignation as he kicked the door open. He stood in the doorway and gave them the most menacing look imaginable, but it was obvious to everyone, especially the little mutants, that he loved them. "Ya'll know better than to use yer powers like that in th house!" he scolded. They all looked at him meekly and Holmes knew he couldn't pretend to be mad at them for much longer. "A'ight, a'ight...go ask Dr. McCoy to let ya in th danger room...ya'll can tear up whatever ya want in there..." he said. "I'll be down in a minute."

The little mutants all broke into a run trying to be the first down to the danger room. Holmes laughed to himself as he remembered the day, just a few weeks ago, that they had arrived. They were all scared and confused when they arrived, much like he and the older ones had been, but the little mutants were all pre-teens and it was especially hard for them to leave their parents. Watching each of them burst into tears as they watched their parents drive away was hard enough on he and the others, but it absolutely broke Rahne's heart and she had been the first to approach each crying child and welcome them into the "family." The children weren't afraid of her in the least and the genuine sympathy and compassion she had for each of them won them over quickly. She knew the terrible feeling of being alone and scared and she knew how to comfort them and how to break the ice for the rest of the group. It was a good thing too, the kids had initially been scared to death of NightCrawler and Beast and they certainly weren't comfortable around DireWulf, Wolverine, or X23.

Things had been much easier with the new recruits when they arrived, several of them didn't look "normal" either and they were all glad to be at the institute where they wouldn't be harassed constantly. All of them but Megan Gwynn kept their distance from Holmes, which suited him fine. He liked the little Welsh girl and she loved everybody; she was always trying to cheer the others up or help them out. He really had no desire to get to know the rest of them, they weren't like the X-Men; they were still kids and acted like it. Thats what ticked him off the most about the self-appointed leader of the group, Josh Foley, he had a huge crush on Rahne and had developed a serious attitude problem toward him during the past few weeks.

'_There is no way she would ever be attracted to a conceited, undisciplined asshole like him….'_ Holmes thought, trying not to let the younger boy's attitude annoy him. Still, it was the principal of the thing….who did this kid think he was hitting on Rahne when he knew she was dating Holmes? Holmes trusted Rahne, but as much as he hated to admit it, he _**did**_ feel threatened by Josh. He was better looking, he was outgoing and popular, he was one of the few omega level mutants and to top it all off, he seemed to be good at everything. Rahne couldn't have cared less, she loved Holmes and Josh's arrogant attitude aggravated her. She and Josh might be the same age, but she was far more mature than he was and there was no way he could really relate to her. She was completely out of his league, she had saved the world before she'd learned to drive and she'd already overcome more hardship in her life than Josh would ever know. She couldn't imagine him ever being able to talk to her the way Holmes had the night they declared their love for each other and she was convinced he was only interested in her body. She'd made it clear she had no interest in dating him and she wished he'd respect her wishes and leave her alone, Holmes' wolf instincts made him a little overprotective of those he loved and it was hard for him to fight the urge to knock the hell out of Josh whenever he was near her.

Holmes wasn't the only one who didn't like seeing Josh near Rahne. Laurie Collins, another of the new recruits, had a huge crush on Josh, but he didn't seem to notice. While Laurie knew Rahne didn't want to date Josh, she couldn't help but be jealous of her; Rahne seemed perfect...she was beautiful, smart, everybody liked her, and she already had a guy who was totally devoted to her. It was no mystery to Holmes how Laurie felt; he could see it in her eyes every time she looked at Josh. He felt bad for her, she seemed like a nice girl and she deserved better than to be ignored like that. _'I guess he'll eventually grow up if he lives long enough...' _Holmes thought as he left to help keep an eye on the little mutants.

"I thought ya were goin outside." Tabitha said as he passed her in the hall.

"Somebody's gotta keep th brats from tearin th house down…." Holmes muttered, feigning boredom. Tabitha just smiled and walked away, he wasn't fooling her for a minute, but she had teased him enough tonight.


	12. Chapter 12: X-Termination

**Chapter 12: X-Termination**

'_They tortured those people after one of the prisoners escaped….the others didn't know anything, but they wouldn't believe them...they took that guy out of his cell and beat him to death as an example….they made all of us watch...then they started on the girl….'_ Holmes sat up in bed, covered in sweat and gasping for air...Angel's words were echoing in his ears and he could still see her face. "Shit..." he muttered to himself as he looked over at his clock, it was 2:37am. He rarely slept through the night anymore without waking around 2:30am or 3:00am, checking on everyone and making sure the house was secure. He got out of bed, pulled a pair of sweat pants on over his boxer shorts, picked up one of his old shirts off the floor and began his long, lonely walk through the institute.

He stopped for a moment outside one of the guest rooms, which was presently occupied by Rahne's mother, Moira. As he moved on, he remembered how worried he had been that she wouldn't think he was good enough for her daughter, but over the past week they had actually become quite close. Moira had been hard on him at first, Xavier had told her everything about him and he had sent her his blood samples for her research. She knew how difficult it was to control this mutation and it was no secret that he still occasionally had trouble with his temper, but it didn't take her long to see why Rahne loved him and she had given him her blessing. Moira loved all her daughter's friends and it made him feel good to see Rahne so happy, surrounded by people who loved her, wolf and all.

'_I wish ya could see how miserably ya failed...ya dirty son of a bitch.'_ he thought as he remembered Reverend Craig. The thought of the man turned his stomach...the way he pretended to serve God, yet he was so unforgivably cruel and consumed with hate. He had given Rahne the gift of God's word, but only to pervert it to make her ashamed of who and what she was. But Holmes was right, he had failed miserably, Rahne prayed for his wretched soul everyday and despite of everything he had done to her she still wanted to forgive him. She had shared her faith with Tabitha and helped her through some difficult times; her love and kindness had made a believer out of Tabitha and helped her come to terms with her past. She had helped him learn to control his powers and she loved him despite his many shortcomings; no one could ever come close to her in his mind. While Rahne would be quick to tell you otherwise, he thought she was as close to perfect as you could get and he felt lucky to be a part of her life.

Now that he was alone in the dark again, his mind began to wander...he was worried about the RIGHT, but they were just one of the many demons he confronted as he walked the dark halls. He paused again outside Rahne and Tabitha's door, he could hear their breathing and it sounded like they were both sleeping peacefully after their night out. "Stupid preppie bitches..." Holmes muttered as he thought of Tabitha's undeserved reputation. He knew, all to well, how cruel kids could be to anyone who stood out from the group and Tabitha had done that even before she was exposed as a mutant. Of course she had brought some of it on herself...the old Tabitha used to go to all the wild parties and she always ended up getting drunk and acting stupid, not to mention the fact that she was a tease who shamelessly used her sex appeal to get what she wanted from guys.

'_Growin up th way ya did, who could blame ya if ya were as messed up as they say ya are.'_ he thought. Tabitha had made a lot of mistakes and done some things she wasn't proud of, but she wasn't a slut and it made him angry that they would talk about his friend like she was a whore, with no morals and no self-respect. They didn't know anything about her...who she really was...she was the first girl to look past Kurt's demonic appearance and see him for who he really was, she was the only girl who had ever been kind to Todd and Freddy, she had saved the New Mutants, she had stood with the X-men against Apocalypse when she knew none of them were likely to survive, and she had been there for Rahne when she needed support.

'_Ya'll treat her like trash, but she'd die to protect ya...ye're not worth one drop of her blood.'_ he thought as he looked out the window, across the lake, at the distant city of Salem Center. If anyone ever wondered why he was so protective of Tabitha, it was because she was so unselfish...just like Rahne. He held them both in the highest respect, they had both been treated horribly by "normals" and if anyone had the right to say "to hell with 'em" ...they did. But they were better than that, they fought to defend a world that hated and feared them. Kurt, Laura and many of the others had been treated horribly as well; most had faced more hardship in their short lives than their "normal" classmates would ever know. He was thankful he hadn't known the pain many of the others had, but it made him appreciate the fact that they were heroes in the truest sense of the word...they had given up any chance of ever leading a normal life and there was the very real possibility that one day, they wouldn't come home from a mission.

"You done solving th world's problems yet wolf man?" Scott asked as he walked up behind him. Holmes had been so preoccupied he hadn't even heard him coming and it startled him to say the least.

"What th hell are you doin up?" He asked sarcastically, trying to hide his embarrassment at being caught off guard and letting himself become preoccupied with things he couldn't change.

"You think you're the only one who has nightmares?" Scott asked as Holmes gave him a cold look and an awkward silence descended. "When I woke up, Alex wasn't in our room...have you seen him?" he asked after a moment.

"No...but I've only been up about five minutes...what th hell?" he asked as he heard a noise from up on the roof. He had heard the sound before, it sounded like rope being pulled through a climbing harness...like the ones they used for practicing rescues out on the cliffs... _'Oh Shit!'_

"Get down!" he yelled to Scott as a RIGHT trooper crashed through the window into him. Scott leaped out of the way and blasted two more with his force-beams as they crashed through the other windows into the hallway. Holmes morphed to werewolf form while the trooper was still on top of him, choking him. He bit him between his neck and shoulder, then stood up and shook him back and forth like a dog playing with a shoe before hurling him back out the window.

"Holmes! Get the kids, I'll send Rahne, Tabitha, and Kurt to help!" Scott ordered as the troopers outside fired several gas grenades through the broken windows at them. "Hurry " he yelled as he covered his nose to avoid choking on the gas. DireWulf snarled and charged off down the hall, past Magneto and Wolverine who were fighting with more of the troopers. Wolfsbane charged after him, followed by Meltdown who was still pulling on her clothes.

* * *

'_Rogue...get to the professor! He's hurt!'_ Jean yelled telepathically as she slammed an armored suit through the window and out into the garden. How had they gotten in!?...there were so many of them and she could sense they had already captured a fair number of the students. Most of the X-men had been caught in their beds and hadn't stood a chance against the RIGHT's gas grenades, stasis goo and tranquilizing darts. She'd nearly choked on the gas and she had to focus most of her power on fighting its effects and remaining conscious, severely limiting her ability to fight.

Rogue kicked open the door to the professors room, she found him on the floor, unconscious and badly hurt...one of the gas grenades had gone off right in his face. Rogue picked him up onto her shoulder and ran for one of the secret tunnels built into the walls of the institute. _'Everybody pull back to the hangar...we're getting out of here!' _she heard Jean order.

* * *

"Wolverine! You and X23 help with the evacuation! I'll take care of our guests!" Magneto yelled as crushed an armored suit with his powers.

"You heard him Laura! Get going!" Logan yelled as he tore through three of the troopers. He hated the idea of running from a good fight, but getting the kids to safety was more important. Colossus slammed two more troopers through the wall as he came to aid his former nemesis, but he was suddenly hit with stasis goo from behind.

"Damn!" Magneto cursed as dodged the goo fired at him and crushed that trooper as well. This battle was definitely going against them...the tranquilizer darts he's been hit with were taking their toll on his strength, he would hold them off as long as he could, but he'd have to pull back and protect the Blackbird before he passed out, if anybody was going to make it out.

* * *

Meanwhile, NightCrawler and Meltdown had already escaped down one of the tunnels with one group of the little mutants and most of the new recruits. DireWulf and Wolfsbane were still busy with the second group when Havok tore the hall door off its hinges with his force beams. Wolfsbane leaped and smashed the largest piece with a kick before it could hit the children. "Wha' th bloody hell are ye doing? " she screamed at him. Havok gave her a disgusted look and tried to blast her, but she was too fast for him as she leaped into the air again. Wolfsbane slammed her fist into his face as she landed and DireWulf punched him through the wall with a flying shoulder block.

"Damn traitor!" he snarled as he moved in to finish him off, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the bizarre mind-control implants grafted to his skin. He was so unnerved by the sight that he turned human again. "Shit..." he muttered.

"Shuga, take th brats and meet th others...I'll see if I can slow 'em down fer ya...we can't take th chance they'll find th tunnel." he said as they heard more troopers following Havok. Wolfsbane would have refused under any other circumstances and stayed with him, but she knew they couldn't take the chance that the RIGHT would find the children, or the tunnels. "I love you." he said as pulled her close and kissed her. He tenderly stroked the russet fur on her cheek before he returned to his werewolf form and disappeared down the hall into the darkness.

"And I love ye..."Wolfsbane said as she hurried the children into the tunnel.

* * *

Jean hurled a psionic blast down the hallway at the troopers as she made her retreat, carrying Mirage as she flew toward the tunnel leading to the hangar. _'Scott...is the Blackbird ready!?'_ she asked.

'_Yeah, hurry...me and Sam took out the first wave...but more are _coming !' he answered as Sam blasted the last of the troopers who had broken into the hangar from the beach entrance.

'_I can't get to you!'_ she screamed as several armored suits appeared at the end of the hall and opened fire on her. _'I'll get out with Logan!'_

'_Jean I won't leave you!'_ Cyclops yelled.

'_If you love me you'll go...go and take care of the others!'_ she said. Cyclops cursed and turned back to the Blackbird, he knew his duty, but this was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. Meanwhile, Wolverine, X23 and Jean were running for the stairs when DireWulf staggered out into the hall and slumped against the wall, he'd been shot several times in the leg and his right side and he was still bleeding badly.

"Th bastards got Storm...there were too many...we couldn't stop 'em all..." he gasped.

"We'll get her back...but right now we have to regroup " X23 told him as she grabbed him by the fur and helped him down the stairs. They found Megan, one of the new recruits hiding in the downstairs hallway and X23 grabbed her as they headed for the tunnel.

"Hurry They're right behind us!" X23 yelled as she reached the secret panel in the wall that lead to the tunnel. Wolverine, X23 and Megan hurried through and paused to wait for Jean and DireWulf. Jean was just entering the tunnel with Mirage when the troopers who were following them entered the hallway at the far end.

"There they are!" one yelled as he opened fire. DireWulf shoved Jean and Mirage inside and slammed the door shut, sealing the lock and concealing the entrance once again. Despite his severe injuries he was on the troopers in an instant, tearing them to pieces before they could tell the others about the tunnel's location.

'_Holmes! What are you doing? Comeback!'_ Jean screamed after him, she could sense he was moving away from them, back toward the stairs.

'_I can't Jean...I'm bleeding again...they'll follow ma blood trail...I'm gonna try to find Magneto..._' He answered as he clutched his paw over his wounds...it was all he could do to stand up, the pain was so intense. He had taken several more hits and it was all his healing factor could do to cope with the damage. What kind of bullets were these?! He'd never felt pain like this before...it was almost as if they were counteracting his healing factor. Jean could sense how frightened he was, he was doing his best to hide it, but it wasn't working. As he neared the stairs an armored trooper charged down out of the darkness and buried his fist into him, sending him crashing to the floor. DireWulf struggled, trying to get up, but the trooper kept beating him until he finally passed out and returned to human form.

"They got him..." Jean said as she turned back to the others and they fled down the tunnel.

* * *

"Hurry ma'am...th professor needs help!" Cannonball yelled as he helped Moira out of the tunnel and pointed across the hangar to the Blackbird.

"Sam! Where's Rahne?!" She asked as she ran to help Xavier.

"She's with Holmes...they've got th kids...I'm gonna go help 'em!" he yelled as he took off and flew down the tunnel at full speed. He saw an armored trooper ahead, aiming a rocket launcher at the Blackbird; he smashed into him, knocking him out of the entrance and into the lake below. Cannonball flew through the waterfall and out into the freezing night; the shock of the water and cold air nearly took his breath, but he fought through it and circled back to help Meltdown and Wolfsbane. He heard a faint cry for help and he looked down to see Josh Foley and Laurie Collins running through the garden, away from the RIGHT troopers who were firing at them. _'Shit! What th hell are they doin out here?!' _he thought as he turned and dove straight for the troopers.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, Meltdown and Night Crawler had gotten the first group of children out of the tunnel and had hidden them near the rendezvous point. She hoped that Cyclops would get to them soon, most of the kids were still in their pajamas and they would die of exposure if they stayed out in the elements much longer. They could always go to the safe house, she thought...but it would be nearly impossible to move that many kids, that far, through the snow with the RIGHT on the prowl... _'come on Scott...'_ She thought.

Meltdown was freezing too, but she did her best to block out the cold, Wolfsbane had just arrived with the second group and they were all busy getting them to safety. Meltdown had stopped to help one of the children who had fallen behind, when she heard the branches behind her snap and the bushes rustle, she looked up to see Sabertooth leap into the clearing. There in the moonlight, she could see the mind-control implants grafted to his skin...they looked just like the ones she'd seen Apocalypse use to control Xavier. She nearly died of fright, but still, she stood her ground...she couldn't just leave a crying, terrified child at the mercy of a psychotic killer. "Get back!" Meltdown yelled as she hurled her bombs and charged the savage beast.

Wolfsbane had just reached the rendezvous point when she heard Meltdown cry out in pain, she turned raced back toward the tunnel with NightCrawler close behind. Meltdown was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath and Sabertooth was moving in for the kill when Wolfsbane leaped out of the bushes and slashed his face open with her claws. "Get back tae th children!" Wolfsbane yelled to NightCrawler as she squared off with Sabertooth. She was surprised at how badly injured he was from his fight with Meltdown, but to her horror, his healing factor was closing his wounds right before her eyes. She snarled and tore into him again as he lunged for her. Meltdown knocked NightCrawler's hand away as he tried to help her and ran to help her friend. As badly as he wanted to help, NightCrawler teleported to safety with the little mutants, praying the others would get there in time to help Meltdown and Wolfsbane.

Wolfsbane slammed a spinning kick into Sabertooth's face, knocking him against a tree. He roared in anger and came at them again, but Meltdown threw a bomb the size of a beach ball at him, the blast blew his head off, killing him instantly and knocked both of them off their feet.

"Tabby...can ye walk...we ha' tae get out of here." Wolfsbane asked as she picked her friend up. Meltdown slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her friend, she was cut all over from fighting with Sabertooth.

"Rahne, put me down! You're hurt!" She exclaimed.

"It looks worse than it is...muh healing factor can take care of it..." Wolfsbane said weakly. Meltdown couldn't help herself, she grabbed her friend and hugged her. They were just turning to run when they were both hit with stasis goo and trapped together in a blob of the stuff.

"Where th hell did these two come from?" One of the troopers asked.

"How should I know?!..." a second one answered. "Damn, look what they did to the big mutant! ...we better take these two back..." He said as several more troopers grabbed the girls and carried them away.

* * *

The X-men had just finished loading the children into the helicopter and the Blackbird and were heading out to look for Meltdown and Wolfsbane when the RIGHT burst out of the bushes and attacked. Magneto, Cannonball and Wolverine did their best to hold them off, but there were too many and they trying to destroy the aircraft. X23 grabbed the controls and took off as she opened fire on the troopers with the helicopter's gun, driving them back, giving Cyclops the chance to take off as Wolverine dragged Cannonball, cursing and fighting, up the ramp. Magneto unleashed an electromagnetic pulse at the troopers, disabling their armored suits, but several of their helicopters arrived and locked their missiles on the Blackbird. The EMP had drained Magneto's energy, already severely taxed by the multiple darts he'd been shot with, he knew he couldn't stop all the missiles and he was forced to give the order to retreat.

"Scott, slow down...it's gonna fly apart." Rogue cautioned. The Blackbird had just been shot to hell by the RIGHT and she wasn't sure it could take the stress of mach seven even under ideal conditions.

"Then I'll fly it apart! We've got to get the professor to Muir Isle...he's got to pull through or we'll never see the others again!" He yelled. Rogue turned and looked back at the professor as Moira, and Hank continued to care for him. Eric had finally passed out from the tranquilizer darts and the stress of the battle. Remy walked up behind her and draped his trench coat over her shoulders "De little ones need you..." he whispered as he nodded in the direction of the children...they all looked terrified.

* * *

Back at the institute, the RIGHT was still busy with their captives. "What about these two?" one of the troopers asked as he and the others carried Jamie and Amara out to the helicopter and locked power inhibitors around their necks.

"These two go to Dr. Animus...Hodge doesn't want 'em." The commander answered. "Hollister! ...did we get any of the little ones?" he asked, as another trooper came out carrying Jubilee.

"No sir...they all got away...what about this Chinese kid?" he asked.

"She's not even on the list...send her to the Dr." he answered. 'He's gonna be pissed as hell.' he thought as he looked into the helicopter. So far they had only managed to capture Amara, Kitty, Jamie, and Jubilee for his research and he had really wanted the children...something about how they might be the key to his research since they had manifested so early. He didn't know and he didn't give a damn either, he took his orders from Commander Hodge and he had captured many of the X-men he had asked for. He turned and looked into the other helicopter at Piotr, Ray, Bobby, and Roberto...he hadn't been able to get his hands on X23, Jean, Logan or Rogue, but he was confident that Ororo Munro would more than make up for it...now, if he could only find Tabitha Smith or Scott Summers...

"Sir, we've got another one." a trooper in an armored suit said as he walked up and threw Holmes down at his feet. "This things got a healing factor..." he said as the commander checked his orders.

"Send him to Animus...he's been wanting one with a healing factor." he ordered. That might be enough to keep Animus from throwing a fit at the loss of the children. "Move out!" he ordered. As his men climbed on board the helicopters and the trucks and fled into the night, he headed for the forest to pick up the last of the captives.


	13. Chapter 13: Revelation

**Chapter 13: Revelation**

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

"Turn it off Danielle..." Rogue muttered as she turned away from the television and stared out the window at the dreary landscape. The RIGHT's attack on the institute had been all over the news all morning and they had all heard it a dozen times...nothing had changed.

"Hang on..." Danielle said as the network cut to Washington D.C. for a new development. They were all shocked to see Cameron Hodge standing at a podium with huge M.R.D. emblem on the wall behind him.

"Wha' th bloody hell is this then?" Sean Cassidy asked as he stirred his coffee. He had just returned from Ullapool with some clothes for the kids since they'd all been chased out in their pajamas and he still didn't know all the details of the previous night. He only wished he'd gone with Moira instead of investigating that break-in at the Braddock mansion; Rahne and the others might not have been captured if he'd been there to fight; he was strong and as a member of Xavier's original X-Men, he was skilled in battle.

"They're going public..." Scott said in disbelief as he and Magneto entered the room. Magneto stared ominously at the image of Hodge as he and the others stood in silence and listened to him explain the mission of M.R.D. and pledge to hunt down the RIGHT and bring them to justice. When asked about the fate of the institutes staff and students he would only say that they were missing and presumed dead, but that his department wouldn't give up the search for the sake of their families.

"Can ve trust zem?" Kurt asked as they began to interview his parents.

"No...he's trying to lure us out..." Magneto said.

"Ya mean..."

"Yes, I think he's part of the RIGHT." Magneto interrupted. "They're too well equipped, too well funded, and too well organized." "How else did they get the plans for the sentinel? How did they get the plans for the assault suits? How is it they've managed to stay one step ahead of everyone?" "And where do they get their money?" He asked angrily.

"Unbelievable..." Sam muttered.

"No, he's right...think about it...sometimes the best place to hide is right out in the open." Logan said, as everything started to fall into place in his mind. The money, the equipment, the abandoned nuke base...it all made sense...Hodge was part of the RIGHT, there was no other explanation. "I'm a fool for not seeing this before..."

"We're all fools..." Magneto muttered. "I just can't understand how they bypassed our security..."

"I don't care." Logan said. "Getting the others back is all that matters now...you need to hurry up and get the second Cerebro unit activated...I'll send Hank and Moira down as soon as they're finished with Charles." Magneto nodded floated out of the room. "Scott, you and Sean take the others and get back to work on the Blackbird...I'll be down to help in a minute." Logan said as he headed for the infirmary.

* * *

"How is he?" Logan asked as he looked in on Xavier.

"He's alive, thanks to Moira and Josh." Hank answered.

"I didn't know the kid could heal injuries that serious." Logan said.

"It took everything he had...and Charles is still in a coma...Josh doesn't have the power or the skill to bring him out of it, but at least now there's a chance he'll recover." Hank said as they came to the professor's bedside. Xavier didn't have a mark on him and Logan was amazed Josh had been able to repair the damage...especially at his age.

"There's no way tae know when, or if he'll come out of it...so dinnae bother asking." Moira said as she and Jean walked up behind them.

"Then you'll have to use Cerebro once we get it operational." Logan said as he turned to Jean. "Are you up to it?"

Jean nodded, "By the time you get it up and running, I'll be ready...for now I'll just try to help bring him out of it..." she sighed as she sat down by the professors bed, she still felt terrible from the effects of the gas the RIGHT had used on her.

"I'll go help Eric with Cerebro..." Hank muttered.

"Aye, I'll help ye...it's in a thousand pieces...it's ne'er been taken out of the crates it was shipped in..." Moira sighed as she and Logan followed him out. Moira walked into her office and poured herself a cup of coffee, she was exhausted and their situation seemed absolutely hopeless. It would take days to get Cerebro operational, even with Eric's help, the Blackbird was badly damaged and her oldest friend was in a coma. Worst of all, she had seen her only child snatched away by the most brutal enemy they had ever faced; the thought of what they might do to Rahne made her physically ill, but she refused to give up, no matter how hopeless it seemed... Rahne wouldn't give up. She looked down at her desk and picked up the picture of Rahne she always kept there, she couldn't be strong any longer and she sank into her chair and began to cry.

"Moira...we'll get Rahne back...we'll get them all back." Logan said as he walked in and put his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know how the others were going to get through this, Moira was already a wreck, Sam was feeling responsible for Tabitha and Rahne being captured and Scott would never forgive himself for leaving Alex behind. Logan knew there was nothing any of them could have done...they'd have been captured too, but it did no good to try to tell them that.


	14. Chapter 14: Hero's Blood

**Chapter 14: Hero's Blood**

**Paradise Island - North Atlantic**

"Holmes? ...Holmes wake up!" Kitty yelled as she poked him. Holmes groaned and slowly opened his eyes, it was dark and he could barely see, but he knew they must be in the back of a truck or a van.

"Where are they taking us?" he asked.

"I don't know..." Kitty whispered. "I heard them say something about the "Viral Research Unit" ...they took us straight off the plane and put us on this truck...I don't know what happened to the others..."

"Plane?" Holmes asked as he looked around and saw Jamie, Jubilee and Amara all huddled in the darkness. He had been out a lot longer than he had thought, he didn't remember anything about the plane...the last memory he had was being hit by the armored trooper

"We're on an island...somewhere in the Atlantic..." she said.

"Did they get any of the kids?" Holmes asked as he began to examine the inhibitor around her neck.

"No..." Kitty choked out as she tried to keep from breaking down in front of the others. Holmes put his arm around her and tried to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say...he was scared to death just like the rest of them. He knew what was going to happen, it was no secret that the RIGHT was conducting genetic experiments on mutants...he'd probably end up strapped to a table, screaming in agony with the rest of them as the RIGHT tried to discover how to prevent mutation in future generations. That, or they'd put him in an isolation cell and infect him with whatever virus they were obviously trying to engineer to kill off the current mutant population. He was glad that Rahne and Tabby had gotten away with the kids...the thought of what he and the others were about to suffer was about to make him physically ill and he would have done anything to save them from these butchers. For a split second he wondered if this was really happening, but he knew he wasn't going to wake up and discover it was a dream...this was real and he was going to suffer the worst death imaginable...it might take months before he finally died and until then, he would know nothing but pain and suffering. _'Please God, let somebody come...I don't want to die this way...I don't want to watch th others die...'_

The truck stopped moving and they were all blinded by the light as the doors flew open and the troopers began dragging them toward a large windowless building, located at the eastern tip of the island. Holmes knew whatever they were working on in there had to be extremely dangerous as they opened the airlock and threw him inside with the others. The outer door slammed shut and they were all sprayed with a disinfectant mist from several sprinklers before the inner door opened and several armed medical technicians approached them.

"Where the hell are the rest of them?!" Dr. Animus yelled as his men led the X-Men out of the airlock. Holmes' heart nearly stopped when he saw him; being the oldest, he was the only one who remembered Dr. Animus and his crimes. Dr. Frederick Animus...one of the most depraved and evil men who had ever lived...he used to be a genetic engineer, before the government shut him down and arrested him. He butchered at least twenty people before he was done with his experiments... he used what he learned to create these god-awful human/animal hybrids. He never showed any regret... what his victims had suffered was worse than hell...and he had enjoyed it.

"Uh... sir...some of the mutants escaped with the children down some tunnels that our men didn't know about." one of his aides answered. "And then there was Magneto...we weren't expecting him...we thought he hated Xavier."

"We've got to have those children...they were all born with active mutations, I know they're the key to our research..." he said as he turned and glared at his captives. "Where are they?" he asked as he approached Holmes. He glared at him with complete and utter contempt and wouldn't answer, none of them would. "Bring me that damn telepath." Animus ordered.

"Marvin?!" Kitty exclaimed as the medical technicians led out a young mutant and turned off his inhibitor. He was visibly shaken at the sight of Kitty and Holmes wondered what their connection might be.

"Kitty?! ...oh God! Not you too!" He cried. "You bastard!" He yelled as he turned on Animus; unfortunately the inhibitors also served as shock collars and he was instantly brought to his knees in agony.

"You tried to recruit him didn't you?" Animus asked. Kitty only nodded as she tried to look away...she couldn't stand to see anyone suffer like that. "Not the best choice..." Animus sneered. "His powers are weak...and so is he...he sold out the other mutants here so I wouldn't use him in my experiments."

"Read their minds! Tell me where the children are!" Animus commanded as his men leveled their guns at him.

'_Who are you?!'_ Holmes demanded as Marvin entered his mind.

'_Marvin Flum, my mutant name is Mentalo..'_ Marvin said as he tried to face Holmes. He'd never felt a presence like his before, sure he was scared, but he was strong...and it was no act.

'_Well?! ...what th hell are ya waitin fer?!'_ Holmes asked angrily.

'_I'm sorry...'_ Marvin said.

'_Then don't do this...'_ Holmes replied.

'_I have to...I don't want to end up like the others...you don't know what its like!'_

'_No, but you do'_ Holmes answered. _'Ya can't put those kids through this...the oldest ones not even ten yet...'_

'_Shut up! You self-righteous ass!'_ Marvin screamed at him. _'If you guys were really hero's we wouldn't be here! I don't want to die!'_

'_I'm no hero...and I don't wanna die either, but I'm not telling ya anything...'_ Holmes answered defiantly.

'_Don't make this any harder than it has to be!'_ Marvin yelled as he tried to read Holmes' mind.

'_It'll take a stronger mind than yours to break me.'_ Holmes grunted as he fought to keep his secret. _'Ya filthy bastard...I just hope I live long enough to see 'em kill ya!'_ Holmes had a weak natural defense against telepaths and as weak as this one's powers were, he could keep him out... at least for now.

"This one knows..." he said as he backed away from Holmes. "But I can't break his defenses, he's too strong ..."

"What about the others?" Animus asked as he glared at Kitty.

"Only a few of them know the location of the "safe house" ...he's the only one here who does." Marvin lied.

"If you tell me I'll let you live, or I can get it out of you by other methods..." Animus hissed as he got right in Holmes' face. Holmes still said nothing, he just stared at him with a look of scathing contempt. "Take the tough guy and make him talk." Animus ordered. "Send the rest to the genetics lab..." he said as the others were dragged away.

* * *

The guards dragged Holmes down the hall to a small, dark room with a single light and beat the hell out of him before they tied his wrists together, put the rope through a pulley in the ceiling and left him hanging there in the dark, waiting for his interrogator to arrive. He had been badly beaten, he hurt all over and now it felt like his arms were being ripped out of their sockets...he actually wanted to tell, but he knew Rahne was protecting the kids...if things had gone badly, and the others couldn't get to her, then she and Tabitha would have been forced to go into hiding with the little ones. As terrified as he was, he wouldn't allow himself to tell them, he couldn't take that chance... the thought of Rahne suffering such inhuman cruelty was more than he could endure. _'God, ya suffered and ya died fer me...give me th courage to be strong fer Rahne and th little ones...I'm scared...I want to tell...give me th strength not to give in ...and have mercy on ma soul when th end finally comes.'_ he prayed. He had barely finished when the door creaked open and several men walked into the room. Holmes was hanging directly under the light and the rest of the room was so dark, he couldn't see the men's faces.

"This is your last chance..." One said in an ominous tone. "I know about your healing factor...I'm going take you to the point of death, let you heal up and start all over again...I can make this last six months if I want to."

"Fuck you..." Holmes hissed as he gritted his teeth and waited for the first blow to come. Hours seemed like days as he hung there during the interrogation. Where were the kids? Who was guarding them? Where did the others go? Was there more than one safe house? How was the command structure of the team set up? There seemed to be no end to their questions as he endured the slaps, the punches, the insults, the cuts, the electric shocks and the burns. At first he tried to be strong...he fought the urge to cry out from the pain as long as he could, but soon he was screaming in agony. He wanted to tell them, anything to make them stop...but whenever he was about to break, he saw the face of that girl he found in the cell...he thought about all they'd done to her and all they'd do to Rahne and he held his tongue.

Finally, they turned off his inhibitor, tied him to an examining table with chains and left him to heal for a few hours before the RIGHT doctors took their turn with him. His healing factor, once his greatest advantage, now became a curse, allowing them to inflict more punishment on him in a day than they could on a normal human in a month. He cried out in fear and agony one last time as he lay on the freezing table, shaking from the muscle spasms...every mangled joint and shattered bone screaming and every wound throbbing at the slightest touch. His whole world was pain...pain and rage...his anger was torture in itself...he couldn't express it by changing forms as Rahne had taught him...he couldn't cope. He could already feel his control slipping away...his anger and hatred would eventually consume him...he tried once again to change forms, but his body couldn't spare the energy...it was too busy healing the near fatal injuries he'd sustained. He gave up and slowly drifted off into the hallucination plagued hell that passed for sleep.


	15. Chapter 15: Brave Enough

A/N: This chapter is **extremely** graphic, but it can be skipped and you won't miss anything. Tabitha will cover everything in a conversation with Jean a few chapters later.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Brave Enough**

**Paradise Island - North Atlantic**

Corporal Rito and Private Webb both snapped to attention and saluted as Director Hodge, Havok, Sabertooth and several RIGHT lab technicians walked through the doors of main lab complex. "Good morning Sir!" they said in unison. Hodge nodded to them and then to Private Boyce as he and the technicians walked past the holding cells and into the main genetics lab.

"Good morning Miss Munro...I trust you're comfortable?" Hodge asked sarcastically as he walked over to the examining table she was strapped to.

"What have you done to Alex!?" she demanded.

"He's been re-educated...you and your students will be joining him soon...I doubt Xavier will be so eager to attack us again once he see's his precious X-men are under our control." he gloated as the technicians un-strapped her and dragged her into the next room, following Hodge.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." growled an ominous looking man wearing an armored radiation suit. The sound of his voice sent chills through her and she turned to see Dr. David Moreau...a.k.a. The Gengineer. They had met in battle years earlier when Xavier and his first group of students had attacked the island of Genosha and liberated the mutant population. Moreau was a brilliant geneticist employed by the Genoshan military; he had developed a process for enhancing mutant abilities, that when combined with his powerful mind-control implants, turned his victims into devastating biological weapons with no regard for their own lives.

"I'm sure you remember how this works" he sneered as he finished inserting the various needles and tubes into Ororo's arms and chest. Once he was sure her arms were secure, he put on his gloves and helmet and walked to the control console directly across from the machine.

"Sir, who should we take next?" the technicians asked.

"Take the men first...I told our boys they could have some fun with the two girls today..." Hodge muttered as a sadistic smile spread across his face.

"Who's it gonna be?" Rito asked as he nodded on the direction of Rahne and Tabitha's cells.

"Take the red-head first." Boyce said as they all grinned and began laughing.

"Wha' are ye doing?!" Rahne asked as Rito opened the cell door and drew his taser.

"Admiring the view." he said. "We've been out here a long time... you and the blonde chick are the first women we've seen in three months..." He said as he smiled at the look of horror on Rahne's face.

"No! Nae tha, please!" Rahne pleaded as she backed away into the corner.

"Shut up bitch!" Rito yelled as he shocked her. The others laughed as she cried out in pain and fell to the floor at his feet. "Not so tough now, are you?!" he sneered as he slammed his boot into Rahne's side, shattering four of her ribs. Webb walked up and spit on her as he and Rito picked her up and dragged her out of the lab.

"Cuff her before she hurts herself." Rito scoffed as Tabitha pounded on her cell door and cursed at him. "Be patient bitch! ...you're next!" He yelled at her as he and Webb dragged Rahne out the door. Tabitha backed away from the door and got ready to attack, they weren't going to put their filthy hands on her without a fight.

"Lets do her right now, before we take her up to the barracks..." Rito said as he and Webb dragged Rahne into the supply room across the hall.

"Yeah, It's gonna be like a hotdog in a hallway when they're done..." Webb laughed.

"I'll bet you never had a man, have you?" he asked as he noticed the small cross hanging around her neck. "Good, I'm gonna enjoy breaking you in for the others...all forty of 'em" he taunted as they stretched her over one of the large crates in the room, the pain from her broken ribs was unbearable and it was all Rahne could do to keep from passing out. Webb grabbed her wrists and held her down as Rito unbuckled his belt. Despite her injuries, Rahne tried to fight back, but without her powers it was hopeless.

"NO! Don't touch me!" She gasped as she managed a few weak kicks at Rito.

"Mutie Bitch!" he yelled as he drove his fist into the side of her face. The harder she fought, the harder he hit her, by the time he was done, she was barely conscious, there was nothing she could do but close her eyes and try to shut out the horror and humiliation of what was happening to her as he ripped her shirt open and tore it off her. She had promised herself that she wouldn't scream when he violated her, she didn't want to give this evil man the satisfaction, but she couldn't stop herself from crying _'God please nae this...please help me...'_ she sobbed.

Rito reached down and pulled his knife off his belt. "Open your eyes slut..." he hissed as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. "You're gonna beg for it you little whore...and you're gonna watch, or I'll cut you." he said as he dragged the tip of the blade across her skin, almost cutting her.

"Yeah...you like this you dirty whore..." Rito mocked as grabbed her pants and began to pull them down slowly, just to torment her. He wanted to make her first experience as horrible and painful as possible, when he and the others were done with her, she would never have the courage to fight back again. Rahne managed one painful, desperate scream as he yanked her underwear down and Webb strained hard to hold her as she fought back with every bit of strength she had, but she was just too weak from her injuries.

"**GET AWAY FROM HER!"** Tabitha yelled as she kicked the door open, grabbed a crow bar off a nearby crate and smashed Rito in the head, splitting his skull and breaking his neck instantly. Webb let go of Rahne and went for his taser, but Tabitha whirled and crushed the side of his face before he could stun her. She quickly locked the door and stood there for a moment, seething with anger, Rahne was the sweetest, most innocent person she had ever known and she was ready to finish them both off for attempting such a sadistic act of hatred and cruelty. Rahne was more than her friend, she was like a sister...and she was the first person to truly make her feel that she wasn't worthless and a lost cause. She turned back to Rahne, the poor girl looked horrible, she was badly bruised, one eye was already swelling shut...her cheek bone was fractured and she was cut and bleeding from the brutal punches she'd endured. Tabitha saw the huge bruise on her side and she knew her ribs were broken...she was worried they might puncture her lung, Rahne was in terrible pain and having obvious difficulty breathing...

"Rahne, you're safe, its me..." she said as she knelt down to comfort her friend and check for more injuries.

"Tabby!" she choked out as she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder. "Tabby...they tried to..."

"I stopped 'em...they can't hurt ya now..." she said as she put her finger to Rahne's bleeding lips.

Rahne slowly looked up at her with tear filled eyes "I was so frightened..."she sobbed as Tabitha gathered her in her arms and held her close, trying to comfort her.

"You were brave enough..."she said. Rahne's courage was unbelievable, despite being brutally beaten and treated in the most degrading manner imaginable, she never stopped fighting back. It would have been so easy to give up and submit to them, Tabitha thought...they wouldn't have beaten her so badly if she had. Rahne's small body shuddered in agony as she cried, but there was nothing Tabitha could do for her except hold her. "I'll get ya some clothes...we gotta get moving before they find us...I kicked that other guard's ass and locked him in my cell, but he might wake up soon..." Tabitha said. She got up and began to look through the boxes and crates until she found one marked uniforms. She came back with a shirt and knelt beside Rahne again.

"Wha did I ever do tae deserve this?" she choked out, as Tabitha gently wiped her tears away.

"Nothing." Tabitha said angrily. "Nothing gives anyone th right to degrade and torture another human being like that...thats th Reverend talking!" she said as she helped Rahne get dressed. "Listen to me Rahne, I know ya feel horrible right now, but ya don't have anything to be ashamed of, ya fought them as hard as ya could. Forget whatever lies he told ya! It wasn't yer fault, ya didn't ask fer it, and you're not being punished fer anything!" Tabitha said emphatically.

"I know it's nae muh bloody fault..." Rahne sniffed.

"Good...now come one...we've been here too long." Tabitha said.

"Where can we go? ...there's no way off this bloody island." Rahne said despondently.

"I know." Tabitha said as she fought back her tears. "We have to hide and pray someone comes before they find us..."

"Someone will come...ye have tae believe tha, Tabby." Rahne told her, she half believed it herself. As Tabitha helped Rahne toward the door, they were both startled by a loud bang as a huge dent appeared in the door. Tabitha put herself in front of Rahne and backed away as two armored troopers knocked the door down and Hodge followed them into the room. Hodge looked around the room and his gaze fell on Rahne; then on his two men, lying on the floor.

"Idiots..." he muttered. "I said you could fuck her...not kill her." He turned back to Tabitha and Rahne "Take them to the Gengineer!" He ordered "And tell the men they're off limits, I'm not putting up with any more of this shit!"

"NO! She's already hurt!" Tabitha yelled. "You'll kill her!"

"You forget I know about her healing factor...I know about both of you, Meltdown." Hodge said coldly as his troops seized them and dragged them away.

"You're going to watch...I want you to see her suffer." Hodge hissed as he handcuffed her to a chair in front of the glass panel separating the two rooms. Tabitha tried to look away, the sight of Rahne locked in that machine, naked and terrified, was pure torture. "Look!" Hodge yelled as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head up.

"I swear I'll kill you fer this..." Tabitha sobbed.


	16. Chapter 16: Disposable Heroes

**Chapter 16: Disposable Heroes**

**Paradise Island - North Atlantic**

"Is all this necessary? ...its getting in the way." one of the doctors asked as he tried to move the heavy chain across Holmes' chest so he could attach a heart monitor. "What's he going to do if he gets loose, bleed on us?"

"In a few hours, you'll be glad he's chained down...this guys mean as hell..." another one answered as he continued with his tests. "Huh...look at this..." he said after a few minutes as the latest test results came up on the computer screen. "It's taking him longer to heal each time we turn off the inhibitor...at first it was barely noticeable...but according to this, it should take him three times as long to heal as it did when we started." "I think his power is going to give out soon." he added.

"So there are limits...at least with this thing." his colleague answered. They continued to examine him for another hour before they wheeled him back into the interrogation room and left him alone in the dark._ 'Kill me!...please God just kill me!' _He tried to scream, but no sound would come; where were the others!?...why the hell hadn't they come for them?! _'God! I can't take anymore! I don't deserve this ...why did you let this happen?!'_

* * *

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

Jean groaned as she waked and tried to sit up, her head was pounding and she couldn't focus, her mind was cluttered with jumbled images and emotions and there was a terrible pain behind her eyes. "Take it easy..." Scott said as he put his hand on her shoulder gently pushed her back down on her bed. For a moment Jean didn't resist, she felt sick and she didn't even remember how she'd gotten to her bed...the last thing she remembered was being in the Cerebro room, searching for the others. It took considerable effort, even for Xavier, to find a specific mutant if they weren't using their powers and it was proving almost impossible for Jean. Since they had gotten Cerebro up and running, yesterday, she had been working almost non-stop and she had finally passed out under the strain. Scott had found her and carried her back to her bed, where she had been for the past several hours.

"Scott...I have to get back to work." Jean said weakly as she pushed his hand away and started to get up again.

"Jean, you're going to kill yourself!" Scott protested.

"I can handle it...I know the others must be going through hell...this is nothing..." Jean said as she sat on the edge of the bed. 'Who do you think you're fooling?' Scott thought as he looked at her. Cerebro was the most advanced piece of technology on the planet and it took an incredibly powerful mind to wield it properly, as strong as Jean was, she was taking a huge risk using Cerebro at full power when she wasn't powerful enough to fully control it_. 'I promise I'll be more careful, but the others have been gone seven days...if we don't hurry, there won't be anyone to rescue.'_ she said as she got up and left the room. She knew her chances of finding the others were slim, but she couldn't give up...everyone was counting on her.

Without the psychic shielding, which was built into the walls of her room at the institute, there was nothing to keep her subconscious from locking onto the others inner-most thoughts. She'd been under a constant assault while she was sleeping; she had felt their pain as they tried to cope with the loss of their friends. Their heartbreaking despair and guilt was almost overwhelming and as tired as she was, Jean was glad to be awake and free of them, especially Sam...he seemed to be taking things even harder than Moira and Scott.

"Is that?!" Scott asked as he followed her into the Cerebro room and saw the light blinking.

"Yes!" Jean interrupted as she jumped into the chair and put the helmet on. "It's Holmes! I don't know how, but it's Holmes!" she yelled. She didn't know how Holmes was able to use his powers...maybe he'd escaped, but she knew she didn't have a second to waste.

"I did it! I've found them!" Jean shouted as Magneto and Logan hurried into the room, followed by the others.

"How many?!" Sam asked.

"All of them...all the X-Men, and there are other mutants there too..." Jean said as she wiped away a single tear that ran down her cheek. The emotional strain on her had been overwhelming and now that she had found the others alive, she was having trouble keeping her emotions in check. Jean took a deep breath and regained her composure, she had to stay strong for the others...they all looked to she and Scott for guidance.

"But that's the middle of the Atlantic..." Danielle said as she looked at the map on the screen.

"Look closer." Magneto said as the screen zoomed in on a tiny island north west of the Azores. "Paradise Island...a worthless rock that England captured from Germany in 1942...the U.S. took it over in 45, and built a small base that was abandoned in 1992. Of course, as far as the public was concerned, that base didn't exist...just the kind of place the M.R.D. likes to operate from."

"Jean, can Cerebro tell you if the others are injured?" Logan asked gravely. Jean shook her head; she was worried too, the others had been with the RIGHT for seven days...it was a miracle they were even alive, given the brutality they had already witnessed. "We have to assume the worst then...we're going to need back-up." he said after a moments thought.

"Get your gear X-Men...lets bring our people home!" Scott ordered.

* * *

**Paradise Island - North Atlantic**

**(Several Hours Later)**

"You are seriously trying my patience." Animus said as he appeared in the doorway with his pet telepath.

"Eat a dick..." Holmes grunted as Animus shoved Marvin through the door and forced him to the center of the room where Holmes was hanging. _'Shit...'_ Marvin thought when he saw him... _'how can you take this?'_ he asked.

'_You'll never understand.'_ Holmes answered.

"Please...don't make me..." he pleaded, but Animus slapped him across the face and pointed his pistol at him.

"Maybe you'd like to take your little friend's place?" he hissed as Marvin shrank away in fear. "He's so weak now that even your pathetic powers should be enough to get it out of him." Holmes groaned in pain as the telepath tried to probe his mind again. He tried to fight him, but it was getting harder the weaker he got, they only fed him every other day and he had barely slept at all since he'd been captured. He had lost all track of time; he didn't know how many times they had beaten him to the point of death and let him heal.

'_Get out!'_ Holmes screamed at him. _'Ya damn idiot! Don't ya realize they want to kill all th mutants...they're never gonna let ya go no matter what ya do fer them!'_

'_Stop fighting! There's no honor in this! '_ Marvin yelled as he tried to ignore Holmes. _'All the pain can end if you tell me...I know you want to...'_

'_You go to hell! I'll never tell you anything!'_

'_Yes...you will...'_ Marvin hissed as he hit Holmes with a psi-blast. He nearly passed out from the pain, it felt like his brain was going to explode.

'_You leave her out of this...you fucking coward...I hate you...'_ Holmes choked out as Marvin severed his connection to him.

"It's not the kids he's protecting...its Rahne Sinclair...Wolfsbane..." Marvin said in a defeated tone.

"How touching, but is she really worth your life?" Animus asked in a mocking tone as he walked up and got right in Holmes' face.

Holmes looked up and spit in his face. "Yes!" he yelled.

Holmes screamed as Animus shocked him with the inhibitor. "Well guess what hard-ass, she's already been captured." he said as he wiped his cheek and watched a look of pure terror spread over Holmes face. "Her healing factor was too weak to interest me...not when I already had you, so I gave her to Hodge and Moreau to play with...I think I'll ask for her back...we'll see if you're still so uncooperative once I start peeling her skin off with a hot scalpel!"

"No! Wait! NO!" Holmes yelled.

"Then you better start telling me what I want to hear!" Animus yelled, delighted to have finally found Holmes' weakness.

"God...please..." Holmes pleaded in utter desperation. _'I've got to tell him...he'll kill her anyway, but I've got to...'_

* * *

Outside, Jean slumped against the wall, she felt sick...she was horrified beyond words by what she had just heard. "What's the matter?!" X23 asked as she grabbed Jean and pulled her back down behind the empty barrels at the rear of the Viral Research Unit.

"They've got Holmes in there...they've been torturing him and now they're going to torture Rahne if he doesn't tell them where the kids are..." Jean answered as some of the color started to return to her face. "Hurry up and get in position people...I am not going to sit here and listen while this monster tortures Rahne!" she hissed into the communicator. Beside her, X23 growled as her claws burst out of her gloves...these bastards had to die. Holmes and Rahne were her friends; they made her believe she was more than a weapon, that her life had value and no one was going to take them away from her.

'_Holmes...listen, we're here to get you out, just hang on a little longer.'_ She said as she entered his mind again. _'Jean! Hurry! ...I've gotta get Rahne outta here...SHIT! Hurry!..'_ Holmes said as his chief tormentor, an ugly little man with a goatee and a psychotic glare in his eyes walked forward out of the darkness, grinning like a fiend. He had heard the others refer to him as "Gyrich" and he hated him...he hated them all, but he hated him most. "I'm gonna have some real fun if Dr. Animus brings your little girlfriend in here." He taunted as he slammed his fist into Holmes' jaw. "I'm gonna rape her right here in front of you...then I'm gonna gut her and strangle her with her own entrails if you don't tell me what I want to know!" he taunted.

"We can't wait any longer!" Jean yelled.

"Go!" Magneto yelled as he blasted the island with a massive electromagnetic pulse, shorting out the inhibitors and everything else with an electrical circuit that wasn't shielded. Across the island, lights flickered and went out and the X-men charged into battle with their hated enemy. Cyclops, Banshee and Wolverine smashed down the door of the main barracks and began to lay waste to the RIGHT troopers inside. Gambit, NightCrawler and the S.H.I.E.L.D. troops attacked the docks, the secondary barracks and the nearby airfield, setting off the fuel dump and devastating the entire area while Beast set off several bombs in the sewers under the building housing the armored suits. It collapsed with a deafening roar, crushing the RIGHT's weapons under tons of debris as Jean ripped the airlock doors apart with her powers. As the thunderous explosions shook the island, Animus shrieked and ran out of the room and Gyrich looked up in horror as the red light on DireWulf's inhibitor flickered and went out. DireWulf morphed to his transitional form, swung on the ropes and kicked Gyrich in the face, knocking him across the room. He looked up in time to see DireWulf snap the ropes and achieve his ultimate werewolf form. He grabbed for his pistol and began firing wildly as DireWulf rushed him and slashed him open with one quick swipe of his paw. Gyrich screamed in pain as DireWulf slammed him against the wall; despite his injuries, he pulled his knife and slashed the wolf man across the chest in a desperate attempt to get away. DireWulf bit off his arm, then grabbed him by the face, gouged his eyes out with his thumbs and crushed his skull to a bloody pulp as Gyrich screamed in agony. He dropped Gyrich as he heard the door open and flew at the other interrogators in a homicidal rage. Marvin was next to feel his wrath as he scrambled for the door. DireWulf tore into him and hurled him against the examining table that he'd betrayed the others to avoid...he was going to kill him for telling them about Rahne and Marvin knew he only had one chance. He summoned all the power he had left and tried to trick DireWulf into thinking he was Wolfsbane, surely he wouldn't hurt her, even though the wolf had almost completely taken over.

"Matt...don't hurt me!" he pleaded.

DireWulf screamed and fell backwards as he returned to human form...the shock of seeing Rahne had shaken him to very core of his being and brought him back from the brink of insanity. "Your friends are still alive!" Marvin gasped. "Animus will kill them if you don't stop him...please...don't let him hurt anyone else...don't let him hurt Kitty anymore!"

"Don't act like ya give a damn, ya worthless pile of shit! When this is over I'm gonna kill you!" Holmes growled as he returned to werewolf form and sniffed the putrid air, trying to pick up a familiar scent.

"Amara..." he growled as he turned and charged down the hall, tore through several guards and smashed his way through the doors to the holding area just as Magma burned through her cell door. "Wulf! We've gotta hurry! They're gonna kill the others!" she yelled. They burst through the doors of the lab and came face to face with Animus and the other doctors standing at the center of the room, in the midst of a dozen suffering mutants strapped to operating tables. Magma instantly burst into flame at the sight of him, but he stood there defiantly, holding a small test tube in his hand.

"You take one step closer and I'll contaminate all of you!" He yelled.

"Torch that shit!" DireWulf snarled as he leaped toward Animus. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Animus dropped the test tube and went for his pistol; the other doctors fled in terror as DireWulf slammed into him and Magma incinerated the test tube in mid-air.

"Please! NO!" he screamed in terror as DireWulf picked him up by the throat and held him at eye level. "Don't kill me! ...please!" Animus choked out as he pissed his pants and struggled against the wolf man's iron grip.

"How many mutants begged fer their life and you killed 'em anyway?!" DireWulf roared as he tightened his grip. He could never have imagined anything as horrible as the suffering he saw around him...these people had been butchered, there was no other word for it. These inhuman bastards hadn't even given them any painkiller, he couldn't smell one drop of anesthetic in the whole room..._'this piece of shit was afraid it would affect his test results!' _he thought. "You go to HELL!" he screamed as he tore out his throat and hurled his convulsing body against the wall.

He stood there, still seething with anger as he turned to the other doctors, who were cowering in the corner. "Get in there or I'll tear ya apart!" he ordered as he pointed to the empty quarantine room. "Lock em in and help me with the others..." he told Magma.

"You heard him...move!" She snapped as she hurled a fireball into the wall beside them. As she forced them inside and locked the doors, Holmes slashed through the straps binding Jubilee to the table. He didn't know what they had done to her; they hadn't operated on her, Jamie or Kitty, but they were in so much pain they could hardly move, and they didn't smell right either.

"Holmes?" she whimpered as he gently nudge her with his snout.

"I'm here...he won't hurt ya anymore." he said, trying to comfort her as she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"They're through here!" Jean yelled as she and X23 burst into the room, followed by several S.H.I.E.L.D. troopers, escorting a team of doctors and EMT's. "Thank God..." Jean whispered when she saw DireWulf and Magma, although her joy quickly faded at the sight of the others.

"What have the hell have they done to you?"X23 asked as she saw the blood still oozing from his chest wound. He should have healed by now; she and Wolverine healed even the most serious injuries in minutes, he took hours, and Wolfsbane took days...but he always stopped bleeding almost immediately after she cut him when they trained together. In the back of her mind she knew...she knew they had put so much stress on his healing factor that it had literally burned itself out. He had used up everything he had to heal this last time and he looked as fit as ever, but she could sense how weak he really was now that she was close to him.

"Shut up! I can still fight!" he snapped.

"Bullshit! You're completely wrecked! You can't even heal a little cut!" X23 yelled. "If you fight now you'll die!"

"Then you need to stay here and protect the others...you're not going out there, not in the shape you're in." Jean ordered

"I'm goin to help Rahne and you'll have to kill me to stop me!" He yelled.

"Mike...please, Rahne wouldn't want this..." Jean said. She tried to reach out to him, but he slapped her hand away and growled at her...he was half out of his mind with pain and rage...there was no reasoning with him. Suddenly, Cyclops' voice burst through the communicator, startling all of them.

"Jean! We need some back up! Hodge is controlling the others..." he yelled as static covered his signal. Jean flew after DireWulf as he raced down the hall toward the airlock followed by Magma and X23.


	17. Chapter 17: Dreams End

**Chapter 17: Dreams End**

**Paradise Island - North Atlantic**

DireWulf charged out of the airlock, dodged Havok's force blast and tackled him, knocking him into the wall as Jean flew out and attacked a group of armored troopers. Magma knocked Iceman off his ice slide with her fireballs and burst into flame as he tried to freeze her, seconds later they were locked in a ferocious battle. X23 leaped over a pile of debris from one of the collapsed buildings and attacked Colossus. A sentinel landed and took aim at them, but Cannonball streaked across the sky and smashed it to pieces before it could fire on Jean and the others. Havok blasted DireWulf off him, launching him thirty feet across the base into a pile of rubble as Cyclops ran to his side and began firing at Sunspot and his brother. "Take it easy! We've got to stop 'em without hurting them!" Cyclops yelled. This was worse than anything he'd dared imagine, not only was he forced to fight his own brother, but the mind control devices, now grafted to his body, looked like those Apocalypse had used to control Xavier, Magneto, Mystique and Storm during their final battle with him.

"I'm fine, thanks fer asking." DireWulf snapped. "Run!" he yelled. He grabbed Cyclops and leaped to safety as Meltdown launched a bomb at them. Her powers had increased substantially and her physical form was much more muscular now. "What th hell did they do to her?!" he yelled as he dodged more bombs and ducked behind another pile of rubble.

"She's been genetically altered..." Cyclops said as he leaped to his feet and blasted her. As Meltdown tried to get to her feet, Rogue tackled her and drained her energy, knocking her out.

"Cyclops, deal with yer brother...I gotta stop Pete fore he kills somebody!" She yelled as her hands began to glow with Meltdown's energy power. Cyclops unleashed a blast at Havok as Jean and Storm battled overhead. As DireWulf looked around frantically for Wolfsbane, he was stunned to see a modified stealth bomber land and Avalanche, Scarlet Witch and the rest of the Brotherhood step through the hatch. _'Never thought I'd be glad to see them...' _he thought.

"What the hell?!" Avalanche asked as he saw Havok and Cyclops fighting.

"Hodge has em' brainwashed" Holmes answered. "Ya'll take the humans...ya leave th X-Men to us!" He warned.

"What if you a'int up to it mate?" Pyro sneered.

"Then I'll see you in Hell!" DireWulf growled as he caught sight of Wolfsbane.

"Fine with me ...lets kick some human ass!" Quicksilver ordered.

* * *

"Rahne! STOP!" Mirage screamed as she scrambled backwards across the ground, away from Wolfsbane. With Wolfsbane possessed by Hodge, Mirage's psychic powers had no effect on her and she had been easily defeated by the genetically altered werewolf. Wolfsbane pinned Mirage down and raised her claws for the final strike, but hesitated as she fought the Gengineer's programing. That moment's hesitation was enough for DireWulf to leap and tackle her, knocking her away from Mirage as she limped away.

Wolfsbane threw him off and slashed at him as he grabbed her again, pinning her arms to her sides and lifting her off the ground. "Fight it Rahne!" he grunted as he strained to hold her. He couldn't believe what they had done to her, she was huge...over six feet tall and incredibly muscular now that she was transformed. They had drastically increased her powers, not only did she look like him, she was stronger than he was and he knew he couldn't hold her much longer. "Fight back Rahne! He's controlling ya...making ya go against everything ya believe in...everyone ya love!" he yelled. He cried out in pain as she sank her teeth into his arm and slashed his face open with her claws as he dropped her and fell backwards. Wolfsbane turned on him with a savage look in her eyes and slammed him into the pile of rubble with a vicious kick, but once again she hesitated...fighting the Gengineer with everything she had. She grabbed her temples and screamed in pain as her body violently rejected the mind-control implants...they shorted out and fell to the ground. As she staggered and fell forward, he caught her "I got ya..." he whispered as he held her close.

"Matt...I'm so sorry...I couldnae stop muhself..." she sobbed, when she saw what she'd done to him. His left forearm was torn open clear to the bone as was the right side of his face, leaving him a bloody mess and blind in one eye.

"I know...it wasn't yer fault..." he grunted as he tried to block out the pain. Their tearful reunion was suddenly interrupted by a thunderous explosion as Hodge smashed through the wall of the base in a huge armored suit and began firing rockets at the X-men and the Brotherhood. Magneto swooped in for the kill, but he was trapped in a blob of stasis goo as he hesitated and snatched Scarlet Witch to safety as Hodge opened fire on her.

"Yo! Ya'll never said nothin about that!" Toad yelled as he kicked the last of the troopers and leaped away from the rampaging armor. "Damn I wish we'd brought Juggs!"

"DireWulf! We have to get in there and destroy whatever it is they're using to control the others!" Cyclops yelled through the communicator.

"Cyclops...I'll go wit' ye...I know where it is." Wolfsbane said as she took the communicator from DireWulf.

"Go on shuga...stop this maniac before anyone else dies" he said. "I'll cover ya'll."

"NO! Yui're hurt!" she pleaded.

"GO! I'll be fine!" he yelled. Wolfsbane hesitated for a moment, then raced toward the main building, followed by Direwulf. Cyclops was stunned to say the least, the last time he's seen Wolfsbane, she had just clawed NightCrawler, knocking him out of the battle. She was stronger than he had ever thought possible to have broken free of the Gengineer's control...no one had ever done that before. "Hurry up! I'll stay here and watch yer back!" DireWulf yelled as the three of them reached the door of the main building and the alarms went off.

"Holmes NO! you can't ."

"Scott! GO!" he yelled.

"Be careful Wulf...Colossus and Sunspot are still out there and I don't know how long Havok and Meltdown will stay down...they'll all be coming for us." Cyclops said as he and Wolfsbane continued inside. _'Great'_ DireWulf thought as lightning split the sky and torrential rains began to lash the island 'can't smell a damn thing...and I can't hear 'em or see 'em comin in this white out.' Storms last effort proved no deterrent to Jean as she overwhelmed her with a massive psi-attack, but it was going to make his job ten times harder.

"Where th hell do ya think you're goin!?" he snarled as he leaped and slammed Sunspot into the mud, he'd barely had time to react as he appeared right in front of him out of the gloom. Havok blasted him into the wall of the main building, but the angry wolf-man hurled a paw full of mud in his face and attacked both he and Sunspot.

* * *

Meanwhile, X23 was taking a brutal beating at the hands of Colossus...she had managed to keep him away from the others, but there was only so much she could do...he had been evolved as well and no X-Man except Magneto could possibly take him alone. He drove his knee into her gut, lifting her off the ground, before he hit her in the back, driving her into the mud. He kicked her as hard as he could knocking her into the crumbling remains of the armored suit hangar. Then he ripped a huge concrete column that had once supported the roof out of the ground and slammed it down on her, pinning her legs as she cried out in pain. Rogue pelted him with Meltdown's stolen powers and leaped onto Colossus' back, draining a good dose of his power before he snatched her off and slammed her into the ground. That blow should have killed her, but Rogue arose, covered in armor and ready for war. She hit Colossus with a powerful uppercut, sending him flying as she charged after him and smashed his head into the ground with a kick. X23 tried in vain to move the column...but she realized it was hopeless, it must have weighed a ton. The rain had begun to let up and her struggles attracted the attention of Sabertooth, who leaped and landed on top of the column, eyeing his helpless victim. "Your fights with me bub...I just hope they left enough of you in there to make it interesting." Wolverine growled as he unsheathed his claws. Sabertooth pounced, but Wolverine stabbed him with his claws and hurled him into the rubble. He quickly slashed the column apart and heaved it off X23 before he turned and faced Sabertooth again.

"You've gotten soft you ugly bastard, letting these clowns catch you!" Wolverine taunted as he and Sabertooth squared off again. Sabertooth charged him in a blind rage, slashing wildly, only to be disemboweled by Wolverine. "You ain't Sabertooth." Wolverine growled as his nemesis dropped to his knees, bleeding profusely. "Who are you?! What are you?!" He demanded.

"It's a clone, trust me I can tell the difference!" X-23 said as she tried to get to her feet.

"What the hell?!" Wolverine asked.

"I...Look out!" she screamed as Sabertooth lunged for them.

"Get away from her!" Wolverine snapped as he whirled and decapitated his foe.

* * *

"It's through there!" Wolfsbane yelled as she and Cyclops finished off the last of the troopers guarding the Gengineer's lab. Cyclops blasted the heavy doors off their hinges and peered into the dimly lit room as he and Wolfsbane slowly made their way inside. "Get down!" Wolfsbane yelled as he jumped in front of Cyclops and shoved him to the floor as a shot rang out. Wolfsbane yelped in pain and landed on top of him as Cyclops fired an optic blast at the Gengineer. "Destroy tha machine...bring th whole place down if ye ha' tae...I'll deal wit' him." she coughed as she struggled to her feet. _'She's even stronger than Holmes.' _he thought as she growled and went after the Gengineer. He fired another shot at her, but she dodged out of the way, leaped off the side of the wall and tore into him with her deadly claws. He screamed in agony as she ripped through his suit, gutting him with a single blow. It was all she could do to stop herself from killing him...she'd never felt such rage and animal fury before...it was maddening. "Wha th hell ha' ye done tae me?!" She screamed at him as he collapsed at her feet, writhing in pain.

"Get outta here!" Cyclops yelled as he removed his visor. His unrestrained power tore a massive hole through the side of the building, completely vaporizing the Gengineer's lab and all the equipment inside.

* * *

Meanwhile, the combined efforts of Sunspot and Havok had proved too much for DireWulf to handle in his weakened condition and Sunspot buried his fist into the wolf man, sending him crashing to the ground. Meltdown had partially recovered from Rogue's attack and now it seemed that all was lost as Hodge trapped Toad, Avalanche and Blob in his stasis goo. Jean had defeated Storm and now she, Beast, Colonel Fury, Scarlet Witch, Banshee and a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. troops were left to face Hodge and his battle suit. Havok blasted DireWulf with his full power, crushing the badly injured werewolf against the wall; he reverted to human form and collapsed, barely conscious and unable to defend himself. "Take care of this one...the commander needs help!" Havok ordered as he turned to help Hodge battle the remaining X-Men.

"Why won't you die?!" Sunspot yelled as DireWulf managed to raise himself to one knee and take a swing at him. He snatched him up and hit him in the head as hard as he could, before he slammed him head first into the wall again. As Sunspot heaved a huge steel beam over his head and flew over DireWulf; Cannonball slammed into him, knocking him through the wall of the building and sending both of them skidding across the floor. "Sorry Rob...but I got no choice!" he yelled as he got to his feet and punched his teammate in the face as hard as he could.

* * *

"Tabitha, Stop it! I won't fight you!" Magma yelled as she ran to avoid the searing stream of raw energy Meltdown had shot at her. She was nearly knocked off her feet by an explosion and she looked up to see that the northwest corner of the main building had collapsed; she saw Cyclops and Wolfsbane leap through the gaping hole to attack Hodge and she realized that the nightmare was finally over. Magma returned to her normal form and rushed to Meltdown's side.

"NO!" Hodge screamed as the X-men broke free of his control and turned on him. He saw that he was surrounded as the mutants and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents closed in on all sides. Magneto suddenly burst free of the stasis goo and floated into the air above them. Hodge tried to fire off his jet boosters to escape, but Magneto raised his hand and held him with his powers as he began to slowly crush the suit. Hodge screamed in terror as Cyclops and Havok both unleashed their full power on him, tearing the suit to shreds as it fell back to earth in a smoking ruin. Magneto tore the suit open and dragged Hodge out; he was still alive, although he was badly wounded.

"Scott...don't, he's half dead..." Jean said as Cyclops took aim.

"I can fix that..." Meltdown said coldly as her fists began to glow. "Damn you fer what you did to Rahne! Damn you to HELL!" She yelled as she hurled a bomb at him, blowing off his right arm.

"Tabitha! Don't...he's not worth it!" Jean yelled as she held her with her powers.

"Let go damn you! Ya weren't there! Ya don't know!" Tabitha cursed.

"He deserves it Jean! He's an animal!" Rahne snarled as she struggled against Piotr's grip; the sight of Hodge had pushed her completely over the edge. Piotr thought Hodge deserved to die as well, but he knew Rahne would hate herself if she killed him and he held her tight.

"But you're not!" Jean cried in desperation. "Rahne, he can't hurt you anymore...and you're not a killer like him." she said as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took Hodge into custody and began to treat his wounds.

"Forget him! Help the others!" Logan yelled as he emerged from the swirling smoke carrying Laura.

"This isn't over bitch..." Hodge gasped as they loaded him on a stretcher and carried him past Tabitha.

"Get that bastard out of my sight!" Fury ordered as he began walking toward the Viral Research Unit.

"Scott...where's Mike?!" Rahne asked, suddenly alarmed, she didn't see him anywhere.

"He stayed to watch our backs Rahne...he must have gotten into trouble..." he said as he turned and started to run back toward the main building. _'I never should have left him there! He was a complete mess!'_ he thought.

"Spread out people! We've lost Sam and Roberto too!" Logan ordered. _'I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to 'em..' _he thought as he laid Laura down beside one of the helicopters and headed out to help the others.

"Doc! ...Logan! ...Anybody!?" Sam yelled as he staggered out of the main building dragging Holmes. Rahne and Tabitha stopped dead in their tracks when they saw them...they both looked terrible, Sam was cut and bruised all over...his left arm was broken, the bones had torn through the skin and he was bleeding badly...but he was still trying to help his friend. "Somebody help!" he cried out in utter desperation as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees and dropped Holmes.

"Sam!" Rahne screamed as she, Tabitha and Logan ran to his side. Rahne quickly tore away part of her shredded uniform and tied a tourniquet around Sam's arm to stop the bleeding. "Wha happened tae him?!" she asked.

"Alex and Rob jumped him...they were going after ya'll...I'm sorry Rahne, I tried...I tried..." he moaned.

"Sam, its not yer fault!" Tabitha said she held him. Rahne and Logan both grabbed Holmes and headed for the S.H.I.E.L.D. jets, he was in terrible shape, multiple lacerations, blunt force traumas and broken bones, definite internal injuries and brain damage, if they didn't get him help soon, he wasn't going to make it...he might not even with help.

"I'm sorry Tabby...I'm sorry..." Sam choked out as she held him. "I shoulda been there to help ya..." he mumbled as one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. medics knelt down and began to treat his injuries.

"No...they'd have killed ya fer tryin to protect me." she said, trying to comfort him.

* * *

Colonel Fury emerged from the Viral Research Unit, carrying an armor plated sample case from Animus's lab, and turned to see the wounded X-Men as they were being loaded into the jets for transport back to Muir Isle.

"Get 'em airborne!" he ordered. "Moira..." he said as he held up his communicator. "Its Fury, listen, we've got twelve victims from Dr. Animus' lab en route to you now. The specialists I brought should be able to handle them, but Shadow Cat, Multiple and Jubilee have all had their DNA altered in some kind of ungodly experiment...my people are with 'em and they can brief you when they land...you're the only chance they've got." he told her.

"Is Rahne hurt?" she asked.

"She's alright, she was lucky...but her boyfriends hurt bad...the medic's should be briefing you soon, he's gonna need one hell of a good trauma surgeon.. I hope Reyes is as good as Xavier said she is.

"We'll be ready..." Moira said in a despondent tone.


	18. Chapter 18: Desperate Measures

**Chapter 18: Desperate Measures**

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

Moira stood in the drizzling rain at the edge of the landing pad, looking up at the overcast sky as the first of the jets broke through the clouds and began its final approach to the island. Xavier's friend, Dr. Cecilia Reyes and several dozen doctors and genetics specialist, whom S.H.I.E.L.D. had recruited, joined her as the hatch opened and Rahne and Jean stepped out.

"Luv...I thought I'd ne'er see ye again..." Moira cried as she held her daughter. She quickly wrapped Rahne in a blanket and hurried her inside, her clothes were hanging in shreds from her transformation and her russet fur was the only thing keeping her decent and protecting her from the cold.

"Mum..." Rahne sobbed as she reverted to human form and clung to her mother...she couldn't be strong any longer...she had been through hell. They had warped her body and her mind, forced her to hurt her friends, tried to rape her and brought the man she loved to the brink of death...it was all she could do to hold herself together. Moira continued to hold her and comfort her; she knew that in a few minutes she would have to leave her daughter at the moment when she needed her most to try to save Kitty, Jamie and Jubilee.

"Dear God!" Moira exclaimed as Dr. Reyes and Jean brought Holmes out and laid him on a gurney. She had to hold Rahne back as Dr. Reyes and the others hurried past them.

"Moira, I'll take care of him...those others need you now if they're going to have any chance at all." Dr. Reyes said as she rushed Holmes down the hall toward the O.R. "You two come with me! The rest of you, take care of the other X-men when they arrive!" she ordered as her team prepared for more casualties. "Have Hank scrub up and meet me when he gets here!" she yelled as the doors closed behind her. Several members of her team wheeled Bobby, Ororo and Ray into the main medical bay.

"Jean...wha ha' those monsters done tae him?" Moira asked in utter disbelief as she sank into a chair, still holding Rahne. "Why can't he heal himself?"

"Dr. Animus wanted the little mutants...he thought they might hold the key to his experiments..." "Holmes thought Rahne was still protecting them...he thought that if he talked...they'd get her too." Jean told her as she began to cry. "When he wouldn't tell them anything, they tortured him...they tortured him until he was nearly dead and then they turned off his inhibitor and let him heal so they could start over..."she said as she tried not to imagine what he must have gone through. "His healing factor couldn't take that much stress...I didn't want him to fight them, but he wouldn't leave you..." she said as she sat beside Rahne and gently put her arm around her.

"I'm nae worth it..." Rahne sobbed.

"Rahne, don't say that! ...he was willing to die to protect you...you're more important to him than anything." Jean said as she entered Rahne's mind and showed her Holmes' final confrontation with Animus and Mentalo.

Moira looked out toward the landing pad as the jet carrying the rest of the team landed. "Luv...I dinnae want tae leave ye..."

"Mum, ye ha' tae help Jamie, Kitty and Jubilee...yui're th only one on Earth who can save them...I'll make it..." she said as she dried her eyes and tried to be strong for her mother. _ 'I'll, take care of her...' _Jean told Moira as she held Rahne close one last time before she turned and ran for the landing pad and her patients. Rahne got up and slowly walked off down the hall toward the living area of the lab.

"Rahne...where are you going?" Jean asked. "We still need to examine you and the others they brainwashed."

"I'm going tae shower and get dressed Jean...I'll nae sit here and feel sorry fer muhself when so many people are in need..." Rahne said as she turned and looked back at her. "Check Tabby and th others first." Jean didn't try to stop her, she knew Rahne was worried sick about her friends and especially Holmes...she needed something to help take her mind off it and help her cope, besides Moira had trained her in advanced first-aid and emergency medicine...skills which were in high demand at the moment. _ 'I'm going tae be strong...I'm going tae act like th woman tha Mike thinks I am...' _she told herself as she walked up the stairs to her room.

* * *

"I need answers people! Wha's he done tae them?!" Moira shouted to her new team of specialists as they brought Kitty, Jamie and Jubilee into her lab.

"Their cells are starting to break down ma'am...he affected their DNA so that it won't replicate the changes that make them mutants..." one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors told her. "I managed to _'persuade'_ one of the captured RIGHT scientists to tell us how they did it...but I don't know of any way to reverse the process."

"I might have a way..." Moira said. "Show me what he did." she said as she shoved him into a chair in front of her computer. "You two...get me those blood samples." she ordered as she walked to a console in the center of the room and powered it up.

"You're not serious..."he said in disbelief as a panel in the ceiling opened and a genetic recombinator was lowered over the table in the center of the room.

"Aye...I'm going tae recombine their DNA with the earlier samples, before he altered it...it should start replicating normally." she told them. In theory it was the perfect plan, but in practice it was extremely difficult...recombining human DNA was a new science to say the least and the potential for disaster boggled the mind. She was convinced that mishandling and outright misuse of the worlds only other recombinator at Empire State University was responsible for producing Spiderman and possibly several other super humans...but this was different, she was the worlds leading geneticist and she would be combining identical human DNA. _'God, guide muh hand.'_ she prayed as they laid Kitty on the table and loaded her blood samples into the machine.

* * *

"Rahne, what are you doing here?!" Professor Xavier asked as she entered the main medical bay where the RIGHTs victims were being treated.

"I came tae help professor...I cannae jus' sit by while all these people are suffering." Rahne said as she finished putting on a surgical mask and gloves.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" He asked, deeply concerned for her.

"Aye...please, let me do something." she pleaded.

"Very well, you can assist with some of the less critical patients." he told her. "Dr. Letson, this is Ms. Sinclair...Dr. MacTaggert's daughter, she's been trained in emergency medicine...is there anything she can do to help?" Xavier asked.

"Sure, we need all the help we can get." the doctor answered. Xavier nodded in approval and then went back to trying to help the victims with his powers; he'd barely begun when the alarms sounded.

"She's crashing! We're losing her!" Someone at the far end of the room yelled as several doctors scrambled to help.

"Professor, call Josh...he might be her only chance!" Rahne said as she tried to focus on the young boy in front of her, as much as she wanted to help that girl she knew she'd just be in the way. Xavier could sense that poor child's life slipping away and he immediately called out to Josh with his powers. Fortunately, Josh was across the hall, trying to heal Kurt's concussion and lacerations from his fight with Rahne and he arrived in less than thirty seconds.

"Oh shit..." he gasped when he saw her. He'd never seen anyone in such terrible condition...he didn't even know where to begin. _'What the hell do I do first?!'_ he thought as he began to panic.

"Josh! Get hold o' yuirself!" Rahne yelled, even at that distance she could sense his anxiety. Josh took a breath and tried to calm down; if Rahne could be in here, working so hard after all she'd been through, then he had no business having a breakdown...not when he was this girl's only hope.

"Unbelievable!" the nurse exclaimed as Josh poured every bit of power he had into her. Her wounds were healing in seconds _'this is incredible!' _he thought as Josh began to heal her internal injuries and regenerate her damaged organs.

"Damn it!" the doctor cursed after a moment, "why aren't her vitals coming back up?!"

"Oh God...NO! Please NO!" Josh pleaded as he fought to save her...something was wrong, she should be coming back, but he knew she was about to flat-line, it was like she'd lost the will to live. "NO!" Josh screamed as he felt her heart stop...this couldn't be happening...he'd done everything, healed every injury...she should be alive. "She should be alive!" he yelled.

"Damn it..." the nurse choked out as he pulled a sheet over her.

"Suck it up people...there's nothing we can do but help the others." the doctor ordered. "Josh, you did everything you could, but you're not God and you can't save everybody...I know that doesn't help, but its all I know to tell you." he said as he turned and walked away.

"He's right ye know." Rahne said as she put her arm around him and lead him toward the door. Josh leaned against her to steady himself, he'd used a lot of power and he was feeling very weak, but it was his mental state that concerned her the most.

"Why couldn't I save her?" He asked as he tried to hide the tears filling his eyes.

"I cannae answer tha'." Rahne said as she sat down with him outside the door to the medical bay. "Ye did yuir best, tha's all ye can do."

"Oh Josh, what happened?" Danielle asked as she hobbled up to them on crutches, her knee wrapped in Ace Bandage and ice packs.

"I couldn't save that girl..." he choked out as Danielle sat down next to him and gathered him in her arms. His parents had thrown him out when they found out he was a mutant and Danielle had taken a special interest in him from the minute he walked through the door of the institute...she was really the closest thing to family he had now.

"Take care of him Dani...I ha' tae help th others." Rahne said as she got up. She paused as she opened the door, "I'm sorry I hurt ye Dani...I..."

"I don't wanna hear it Rahne! It was Hodge, not you...I'm not gonna let you do this to yourself." Danielle told her as she tried to comfort Josh. They were still a long way from being good friends again and it didn't look like they ever would be, but that didn't mean that they didn't still care about each other.

* * *

For hours Xavier, Rahne and the doctors worked to save the RIGHT's victims and help the injured X-men; Moira's plan was a success and Kitty, Jamie and Jubilee were all in stable condition, although it would be weeks before they were back to normal. Eric managed to remove the mind control implants the RIGHT had used on the X-Men and he had given them all a thorough examination after he had learned that Dr. Moreau had been involved.

Moira checked in on Tabitha and the others before she finally found Rahne, caring for the RIGHT's victims. "How are Matt and th others?" she asked as Moira came to help her.

"They're going tae be alright, luv." Moira told her. Her daughter never ceased to amaze her, after all she'd suffered, she was more concerned with the others than herself. "Kitty and th others will be sick fer a few weeks, but they'll make it. Sam and a few of th others have broken bones...I've still nae heard anything from Cecilia about Matt, but she's one of th best there is...she'll nae let anything happen tae him." she said. Rahne seemed to take a little comfort in that news, but Moira knew she was sick from worrying about Holmes and trying to cope with what was done to her. She had only spoken with Tabitha briefly, but she had told her all she needed to hear. She knew Rahne wouldn't want to talk about it, but she knew from her own experience that she had to and that she didn't need to be alone at such a vulnerable time. Once they were finally alone, back in Rahne's old bedroom, she finally broke down and told her mother everything that had happened. She couldn't be strong any longer, she had never been more frightened in her life. Moira held her and listened to it all as she tried to comfort her daughter. As hard as it was to bring up the past, Moira told Rahne about her own similar experience many years before she had adopted her.

* * *

"What the hell are these things?" Scott asked as he stared at the monitor displaying his brother's medical information and biological scans. Millions of microscopic robots were swarming through his blood stream and throughout the rest of his body.

"Nano machines..." Eric answered as he prepared to deactivate them. "This is obviously how Hodge bypassed your security."

_'He must have captured Alex when he went back to visit his adopted parents over Christmas break, injected him with these damn things and then wiped his memory.'_ Scott thought as he tried to comfort his brother. _'Then he just waited for the right time to activate them and they constructed the mind-control implants to possess Alex...'_

"I'm sorry Scott...It just happened so fast...I...I didn't even have time to get a shot off..." Alex whimpered as more of his memories started to return.

"Don't blame yourself." Scott answered.

"I'd imagine this will be considerably painful." Eric said as his hands began to glow. Alex cried out in pain and gripped his brother's hand so tight that for a moment Scott thought he'd broken it. "There...your body should be able to break them down now."

"Thank you..." Alex gasped as Scott pulled the sheets and blanket back up over him and turned down the lights so he could sleep. "Scott, how are the others? ...I didn't kill anybody...did I?" Alex choked out.

"No...Hodge made you bust up Holmes pretty bad, but I think he'll be alright, he's tough." Scott answered. "Alex, you can't keep blaming yourself for this...it was Hodge, he's responsible."

"Damn it Scott! Don't patronize me! Everybody got captured, Holmes got tortured, and Rahne and Tabitha both got raped all because I couldn't stop those RIGHT bastards from grabbing me!" Alex screamed at him as he completely broke down. Jean came to his bed side and gently used her powers to put him to sleep, he was out of his mind with pain and guilt; he never would have yelled that for everyone to hear otherwise.

"God, I hope he's wrong about Tabitha and Rahne..." Scott muttered as he slumped back into the chair at Alex's bedside.

"So do I." Jean sighed as she turned to face the other X-Men that Hodge had brainwashed. The room was silent as a grave, everyone was horrified beyond words at what they'd just heard and for a moment she considered using her powers to wipe their memories; but if it was true, they'd eventually find out anyway...she just prayed they'd be tactful and understanding.

"Jean he's right .." Rogue choked out as Tabitha's stolen memories rushed to the surface. She was having a terrible time coping with horrible memories of what Alex, Piotr and Tabitha had gone through on the island, but that image of Rahne crying out in pain and fear was the worst of them.

"You're sure?" Jean asked as she tried to calm Rogue's thoughts.

"Something happened ." Rogue answered. "Something awful ..Tabitha ..I don't know how she's still going." She sighed as tears began to run down her cheeks. Jean entered her mind and erased all the memories Rogue had absorbed; she had enough to deal with already without three other people's trauma.

* * *

'_She's not going to talk to me...she hates me...'_ Jean thought as she checked the computer to see which room they'd taken Sam to recover; she knew Tabitha had to be with him. _'But I can't let her face this alone..' _she decided as stood up and headed for recovery room three. She couldn't get Alex's words out of her head and she couldn't stop worrying about Tabitha and Rahne, but Rahne was upstairs right now with her mother and Tabitha didn't have anyone to comfort her. Amara had been with Colonel Fury for hours since she was the only one still able to testify as to what had happened in Dr. Animus' lab, but Jean did think she'd really be able to give Tabitha the support she needed...she just didn't have the life experience or the maturity required.

She knew if Holmes made it through surgery, he'd be no help to her in his condition and she seriously doubted Tabitha would be able to talk to him about it at all...she'd probably be too ashamed even to tell Sam. Rahne and Moira were the only ones who could help her and Jean couldn't understand why Moira hadn't taken Tabitha with her...the thought of her sitting there alone for hours brooding over it and worrying about her friends was too awful to think about; she had to do something.

"How's he doing?" Jean asked as she joined Tabitha at Sam's bedside. The poor girl was utterly exhausted, she had nothing left to give and despite their past differences and disagreements, Jean felt the deepest sympathy for her. She'd had a hard life and now to have this have this sickening act of cruelty heaped onto all the other heartache and disappointment she'd been forced to endure had Jean's heart breaking for her. _ 'I don't know what to say to her' _she thought. _'I guess there's nothing I can say...all I can do is keep her company...' _

"They said he'll be fine..." Tabitha answered as she reached over and held his hand. "I...I just wish he'd wake up so I'd know fer sure..." They'd had to give him a blood transfusion and put screws in his arm to hold the bones in place...that sounded pretty serious to her.

"I know...but he needs to sleep." Jean said as she gently put her arm around Tabitha's shoulders. "He hardly slept at all the whole week you were gone...he worked harder than anyone else to get the Blackbird repaired and he fought like the Hulk to get you away from Hodge...he loves you so much, nothing else mattered to him."

"He's been blaming himself this whole time..." Tabitha said quietly. "He couldn't have gotten to us in time, he didn't even know where to look...and if he'd been captured, he'd have done just like Mike, and they'd have killed him fer tryin to protect me..."

"Thats just the kind of guy he is." Jean answered. "You know that..."

"Yeah..."

"I hope Holmes is ok..." Jean muttered after a moment; she didn't share Scott's optimism and she was really worried about him.

"Me too..." Tabitha said as she brushed away a tear. "I know he did what he did to protect Rahne...but I was with her, so he was protecting me too..."

"I was really wrong about him when he first got here...I thought he was dangerous...I guess I've been wrong about a lot of things." Jean said.

"What do you want?" She asked. "I know ya didn't come down here t' talk t' _**me** _about how ya treated Mike..." She knew she should forgive Jean, but she still hated her and she'd rather be left alone than endure what she thought was fake sympathy from someone she knew looked down on her.

"Is it so hard for you to believe that I care about you?" Jean asked. _'I guess it is...'_ she thought, seeing the look Tabitha gave her. She really couldn't blame Tabitha, she had every right to hate her for violating her mind like that and Jean hated herself for treating her so badly. She was disgusted with herself that she could have been so cruel, Tabitha had cried and begged her not to read her mind but she'd done it anyway. She hadn't truly understood the responsibility that came with her powers until she felt Tabitha's fear and sadness as she broke down sobbing in front of her.

"I know you're in pain right now whether you admit it or not...and...I just felt bad because you were alone." Jean said, trying to be discreet and give Tabitha her dignity.

"Damn it Jean, I'm so fucking tired of ya'll treating me like a stray dog." Tabitha said choking back her tears. "Leave me alone." she said as she got up and headed for the door.

"Tabitha what are you talking about?" Jean asked as she followed her out into the hall.

"I've never been good enough fer ya'll but I'm not bad enough fer th Brotherhood! Th only reason ya'll asked me to comeback is 'cause ya felt sorry fer me!" Tabitha exploded. "And th only reason I stayed is 'cause Rahne never treated me like I was a lost cause..." Tabitha said as she leaned back against the wall and began to cry.

"Tabitha..."

"Go to hell!" Tabitha interrupted. "Can't ya understand I don't want yer pity?! I just want a chance to do something good with ma life instead of ending up a needy white-trash whore like ma mom..."

"You don't have my pity, you have my respect!" Jean said emphatically. "Yeah, you've made some mistakes, but you know exactly who you are and what you believe and you're willing to stand up and fight for it... I respect you for that...even if I've never told you." Seeing she had Tabitha's attention she continued. "You think you're not good enough for us? We're not good enough for you...you never gave up on us even though we turned our backs on you when you needed us. I can't tell you how sorry we are that we let things turn out the way they have, but I promise you things are going to be different."

"I know I'm hard to live with sometimes..." Tabitha sobbed.

"You're not any worse than the rest of us." Jean said as she hugged her, more concerned than ever for Tabitha's emotional state. Tabitha was tough, she never cried...at least Jean didn't think so and she never expected her to open up to anyone, except maybe Rahne or Sam. "I'm sorry Tabitha, if I could take it back I would….that was the worst day of my life...I acted like a monster."

"It's all right..." Tabitha sniffed.

"No, its not..." Jean choked out as she started to cry. "I know you hate me, I hate myself and I still feel guilty about it….I was so cruel to you…"

"Jean….stop." Tabitha said. "You fucked up….yer're not perfect….neither am I and I forgive ya." She said. "You've felt _**this**_ bad fer six months?" Tabitha asked after a moment.

"Worse….I keep thinking about all the bad things that could have happened to you…."

"If I get a second chance, so do you….I forgive you Jean and I want you to be happy again….I do." Tabitha told her.

"Thank you….." Jean sighed. She knew Tabitha was sincere in her forgiveness and she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. Tabitha knew Jean wasn't a bad person and she was genuinely sorry, so she hoped she'd let go of her guilt. "Let's go somewhere we can talk...Sam will be fine by himself for a little while, he's strong." Jean whispered as she gently brushed the hair out of Tabitha's face. It was deathly quiet as Jean and Tabitha stepped of the elevator onto the first floor of the facility and made their way to the kitchen. The other X-Men were back down in the sub-levels recovering and caring for the RIGHTs victims and the Brotherhood was still standing guard; Jean was confident they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Thanks..." Tabitha sniffed as she sipped the tea Jean had made for her.

"I know we're not exactly best friends yet and you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, but I'm not going to leave you alone at a time like this." Jean said as Tabitha looked at her questioningly. "Alex told us what happened Tabitha...I know those awful men raped you...and Rahne." Jean said as she felt her stomach knot up.

"Damn it to hell...like I don't already have enough fucking shit to put up with..." Tabitha said. "He's full of crap Jean, nobody raped us..."

"Tabitha...you don't have to be ashamed...it wasn't your fault." Jean said as tears began to pour down her cheeks. "We all love you no matter what happened and we all want to help you...just please don't shut us out or runaway again.." Jean sniffed as she fought to control her emotions, she had to be strong, Tabitha didn't need her to fall apart like this.

"Damn it! They didn't rape me Jean! Are you fucking deaf?!" Tabitha yelled as she slammed her fist down on the table and stood up, knocking her chair over. "They tried to rape Rahne; but I beat the shit out of 'em! This is none of ya'lls fucking business!"

"Thank God." Jean sighed as she got up and hugged Tabitha, trying to calm her down. Tabitha didn't pull away this time, she knew Jean's concern for her was genuine, she really did care and it helped to ease the pain and guilt she was feeling.

"You didn't kill them." Jean said, sensing Tabitha's feelings.

"I should have..." she sighed, although she was relieved at the news.

"You need to talk to somebody about this Tabitha. You don't need to try to face this alone..." Jean said.

"I told Moira, but ya can't tell anybody else about this...ya know how Rahne gets and she's already been humiliated enough." Tabitha warned her. "Think how fucked up you'd be if it happened to you..." she whispered.

"I know...but almost everyone else heard him and..."

"That stupid asshole!" Tabitha cursed. "He had no right to tell ya'll something like that! ...even if it was true..."

"If he'd been in his right mind he wouldn't have...but I think, in the long run, it'll hurt Rahne more if we don't tell the others what really happened..." Jean said as she led Tabitha back to the table, where they both sat down.

"I guess you're right..." Tabitha muttered. She felt a little guilty; almost as if she was betraying Rahne's trust, but it was Alex who had told the others, not her...she was only setting the record straight. She knew Rahne wouldn't want anyone other than Moira and Holmes to know, but the only way to keep the others quiet was to tell them the truth so they wouldn't embarrass Rahne in a misguided attempt to help her.

* * *

"I'm sorry Hank...there's just nothing else we can do for him." Dr. Reyes said as she tossed her gloves and mask in the trash and trudged out of the operating room.

"Go get some rest, I'll tell the others." Hank sighed as he leaned against the wall for a moment to collect himself. He remembered back to the first day he'd met Holmes, how eager he'd been to become a part of the team and how hard he'd worked to make it happen. "How many more?" he muttered as he went to find Xavier.

* * *

"Poor Rahne...they could have killed her." Jean sniffed as Tabitha finished her story. "If you hadn't been there..."

"She's th first real friend I ever had...she's more than ma friend...I couldn't leave her" Tabitha said, wiping away her tears.

"I know you're worried about her...so am I, but she's strong and with a friend like you, I know she'll get through this..." Jean said as she put her arm around Tabitha. "Come on, let's go find you some clothes that fit and then we can check on Sam again." She said. Tabitha had left to check on Sam as soon as Magneto had destroyed the nano machines inside her and she was still wearing the ill-fitting scrubs they'd given her as soon as she and the others had gotten a shower. The poor girl didn't even have any shoes or socks and Jean knew she must be cold and miserable on top of everything else.

"Ok..." Tabitha said quietly as she and Jean got up and started to leave the kitchen.

"What happened with Holmes?! Is he alright?!" Jean asked as they opened the door and met Dr. Reyes. She was clearly startled; it was obvious she hadn't expected to meet anyone.

"No" she said as she poured a cup of tea and collapsed into a chair at the table. Five hours of surgery had taken their toll on her, as had the outcome. "We did everything we could, but his brain injuries were just too severe...I don't think he'll live through the night"

"I'm sorry..." she said as she heard the door close behind her.

* * *

"What are his chances?" Eric asked bluntly as he confronted Xavier and Hank outside the E.R.

"We did all we could, but there's just too much damage and he's just too weak." Hank said quietly. "His healing factor has been completely drained...after the beating he took, he's got a few hours...maybe a day at the most...all we did was prolong his suffering." He said bitterly as he led them to a small isolation room off the E.R. where they had taken Holmes. If Hank hadn't been there to tell them who it was, they wouldn't have recognized him...he looked absolutely horrible. The parts of his face that weren't bandaged were so bruised and swollen, he didn't look like himself anymore and they had never seen so many different tubes and IVs in one person before. It was painfully obvious that he didn't have much time left, he couldn't breath on his own and they had him on a ventilator, but it was the heart monitor that told the tale...it was a pitiful, demoralizing sight...even Eric was affected.

"Is your crusade worth this, Charles?!" Eric asked bitterly as he turned to leave. "If you have anything to say to your friend, do it now...even though he can't hear you." he said as he came out into the hallway and found Tabitha and most the X-men gathered there.

"It's just not fair..." Jean sobbed. "He's given so much; he saved all of us..."

"What was he thinking?" Bobby asked, trying to control his emotions. "He had to have known what was going to happen without his healing factor..." He didn't like Holmes at all, but he certainly didn't want anything to happen to him. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out, they were the X-Men, they were super heroes...they didn't die, not like this... Logan and the others had been telling him this was no game, that it was deadly serious, but this was the first time it had really hit home...seeing Holmes lying there, barely alive.

"When you _really_ love somebody, they're all that matter to you." Scott said bluntly.

"He knew Rahne was with the kids and he wanted to protect her. He knew if we couldn't get to her then she and Tabitha would have to take them to South Salem; if we did get to her then he knew we'd come to Muir Isle, but he couldn't tell them that either, they'd have overrun us...he had to make a choice I hope to God none of us ever have to make." Sam said. He didn't care that he was crying in front of everyone, he'd have taken Holmes place if he could.

"Remember what you saw here today...all of you." Logan said.

"How am I gonna tell Rahne?" Tabitha sniffed as she stood at his bedside, gently squeezing his hand. _'God, please...he can't go now...Rahne needs him...we all do...'_

"Let me worry about that Tabitha, It's my responsibility." Xavier said as he joined her. It didn't take a psychic to see that Tabitha was about to have a nervous breakdown, no one so young should be faced with so many trials...she shouldn't have to carry this burden as well.

"I need t' be th one to tell her." Tabitha said as tears started to run down her cheeks and she turned to leave.

"Let her go Chuck, Rahne needs to hear it from her...and she needs to be here..." Logan told him. "We'll stay with him till she gets here...he's not gonna die alone."

"Dr. McCoy...I can help him, please you've got to let me try!" Josh pleaded.

"Josh, he's too far gone, the amount of energy necessary to heal him would kill you in your current condition." Hank replied. If there were a chance in hell, he'd take it, but he couldn't risk another student...Holmes wouldn't want that.

Josh couldn't bear the thought of Rahne having to suffer anymore...no one so innocent and sweet should have to suffer the way she had and he knew Holmes' death would completely destroy her. _'It can't end this way, she'll blame herself...'_ he thought as he stood at Holmes bedside. '_I still don't like you...but I was wrong, you do love Rahne, more than I can imagine...and you saved my life...please God, let me save yours.'_ he prayed as he put one hand on Holmes forehead and the other on his chest. "Thats a chance I'm willing to take!" Josh said.

"Josh NO!" I won't let you kill yourself trying to be a hero!" Xavier yelled.

"I'm not doing this for me!" Josh yelled back as his hands began to glow. '_I know I could die professor, but I can't stand by and do nothing...I have to try, even if it kills me.'_ He said as Xavier entered his mind. _'He saved all of us! He saved me... even after I tried to steal Rahne away from him...I'm the only one who can help him now and you don't have the right to stop me!'_

"God forgive me." Xavier said as he severed his link to Josh.

"Charles!" Hank yelled as Josh poured every ounce of strength he had left into Holmes. "Oh for the love of God Logan! We can't lose both of them!" he protested and Logan popped his claws and blocked his path to Josh.

"Its working kid! You're doin it!" Logan yelled as Holmes heart rate began to increase.

"Don't quit on me! Don't leave Rahne alone...not after all this!" Josh groaned as he strained to heal Holmes. It was clear to him now that he wasn't going to be able to completely heal him...all he could hope to do now was concentrate his remaining power to repair the damage to his brain and hope his healing factor could do the rest. _'Damn it I won't quit...I won't lose anyone else...please God give me the power I need... I can't do this alone!'_

"Josh!" Danielle yelled as she hobbled into the room. "What's happening to him?!" she asked as his skin turned a strange golden color.

"NO!" Hank yelled as Josh suddenly collapsed and the strange golden glow faded, returning him to his normal state.

"His heart stopped!" Danielle yelled as she rushed to his side.

"Get back!" Hank yelled as he ripped Josh's shirt open and attached the shock pads from the A.E.D. in the operating room. "Clear!" Hank yelled as he hit the button and sent a massive electrical surge into Josh's heart.

"Thank God..." Danielle sighed as his heart started beating again.

"Was I...dead?" Josh asked weakly as he opened his eyes and looked up at Danielle.

"For a minute there..." she said as she held him in her arms. "What the hell were you thinking?! ...and what the hells the matter with you Professor?! Letting him try something like that?!"

"Shut up..." Josh said weakly. "It was my choice...he risked his life to save mine, why shouldn't I do the same for him?"

"Did it work?" Danielle asked after a moment's silence.

"Yes." Xavier said as he finished running a complete scan on Holmes. "The injuries to his organs and brain have been repaired, but his remaining injuries are still quite serious..."

"But he gonna make it, right?!" Logan interrupted.

"Yes...he's going to live...he'll probably be crippled for life though." Xavier said emphatically.

"I better find Tabitha before she finds Rahne." Logan said as he raced out of the room. _'That poor kids had enough trauma for a lifetime...she needs some good news.' _he thought.

"Charles, call Cecilia back down here...we need to remove these tubes we inserted to relieve the swelling on his brain." Hank said as he wheeled Holmes back into the operating room.

* * *

(**One Hour Later)**

"What have you discovered?" Xavier asked as Eric entered the room where he and Colonel Fury were busy trying to piece together what had happened. "Gentleman, please we're all on the same side this time." He said as Eric and Fury eyed each other coldly.

"Whatever you're planning Colonel, forget it, I would rather not turn this island into a battlefield." Eric hissed.

"Using those kids as a human shield?!" Fury snapped. "Thats low even for you."

"This bickering is pointless! There are larger issues at stake here...now what have you found?" Xavier asked again, trying to defuse the situation. He knew Eric would never allow himself to be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and he couldn't risk a battle damaging the research facility.

"It's as we feared...the Gengineer's mind-control devices are identical to those Apocalypse used to control us." Magneto said in an ominous tone. "And these nano machines he used to create them and control Havok are far too advanced to have been developed by any human...only Forge, or perhaps the Fixer could have come up with something like them."

"But Apocalypse was killed...Cannonball and Rogue destroyed the Eye of Time!" Fury interrupted.

The Eye of Time was lost to oblivion...but its possible Apocalypse could have survived, although he should have been trapped in the time stream with no way out." Xavier explained.

"Damn it to hell Xavier! Its "possible" he survived?! You told me he was dead!" Fury yelled. "You lied to me...and now I find you harboring this terrorist! I swear to God, if it wasn't for the fact that you and those kids just saved the world, I'd shut that school of yours down and put you in a cell right next to Magneto!"

"Mind your tongue you miserable ingrate!" Eric growled as he grabbed Fury and heaved him off the ground. "S.H.I.E.L.D. was totally ineffective against Apocalypse and RIGHT was your responsibility to deal with...you have no right to talk to Charles that way or call me a terrorist!" he snapped as he threw him against the wall.

"This isn't over." Fury said as he left the room.

"It seems clear that Apocalypse has found some way to strike at us through time...he was responsible for Genosha..." Eric said after Fury had left the room.

"It would seem so, but how does Genosha fit into his plans?" Xavier asked.

"Clearly he's attempting to ignite a war, with the ultimate goal being survival of the fittest." Eric said.

"It looks like he's going to succeed after all." Xavier said, still provoked by Eric's confrontation with Fury.

"I will not have this debate with you again Charles, I want a world thats safe for mutants, that world can only exist if the humans are subjugated." Eric answered angrily. "I am nothing like Apocalypse and its time you give up your childish dreams and accept reality! I only agreed to help you because I knew RIGHT was made up of ex Genoshan special-forces; they don't give a damn about your lofty ideals, they want you dead! But you still can't understand that can you?! You still think the humans are going to accept you and your children."

"Eric, it won't be that way...they aren't all like Hodge..."

"Have you ever listened to yourself?!" Eric yelled. "For God's sake Charles they're the kids nobody wanted! Their own parents were disgusted by them and threw them out for being mutants! Society hates them and treats them like garbage and yet you have them trying to defend the very people that spit on them." "Go down to the trauma ward and take a good hard look at those kids we pulled out of that lab, look at your own students, what's left of them...ask them who's right...this is the last chance I'm giving you to join me...we can make a better world for those kids, but only if you stop fighting me."

"I'll never admit you're right and neither will my X-Men." Xavier answered. "Your anger and hatred is turning you into something every bit as evil as Hodge and your violence will only provoke more violence...this has to end somewhere Eric and I say it ends here and now...I agree, we can make a better world for those children, but you're the one who has to stop fighting."

"I'll never stop fighting old friend...you'll have to kill me first." Eric snarled as he hurled Xavier against the wall. "The war has begun Charles, the humans have drawn the first blood and you know I'll do whatever it takes to win." "If you value the lives of your precious X-Men don't stand in my way." He threatened as he floated out of the room.

"Alright people he's one the move, now look sharp because we're only going to get one shot at this." Fury said as he and several of his men gathered at the end of the hall. '_Fury, don't do this! He'll destroy this whole facility...think about the RIGHT's victims!' _Xavier pleaded.

"I am thinking about 'em professor, and don't worry, your boy Forge fixed us up something special just for Magneto...a power neutralizer...its only good for one shot, but I'm only gonna need one." Fury answered.

"Guess again asshole!" Ray hissed as he shocked Colonel Fury and his men.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to see Charles hasn't brainwashed all of you." Eric gloated as he snatched the neutralizer away from Colonel Fury.

"Take me with you." Ray said as Eric admired his handy-work.

"Welcome to the Brotherhood" Eric said as he kicked Colonel Fury out of his way. "Oh, and thank you Colonel...this little toy of yours will do so much to help my cause."

'Ray! Think about what you're doing! Don't throw your life away like this!' Xavier pleaded.

"Fuck you Xavier...Magneto is right!" Ray scoffed as he turned to follow his new leader.


	19. Chapter 19: Picking up the Pieces

**Chapter 19: Picking up the Pieces**

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

Holmes' condition had stabilized although he still lay unconscious in the recovery ward, where Rahne sat at his bedside and Tabitha and Sam kept watch over him with her. Tabitha sighed as she felt Sam's arms around her; she had never known a feeling like this growing up, she was safe, she was loved and somebody cared. She turned and looked up into his eyes, the hell of the past week showed on his face...he had been so worried about her; he had hardly slept at all. He still blamed himself for her capture, but she had never been more in love with him, he had saved Josh and Laurie, he had saved them all by protecting the Blackbird and he'd saved Holmes. "Tabby...I.." he said as he looked into her eyes, but she put her finger to his lips as she rested her head against his chest.

"Stop blaming yerself...all of us together could barely stop th RIGHT...and none of us would be alive if it wasn't fer you. Now I love ya and I don't wanna hear anymore talk like that." Tabitha whispered.

"I love ya too...I know I don't tell ya that enough..." he said as held her. She looked back at Rahne; she felt guilty that she and Sam could enjoy the comfort of each other while Holmes was still unconscious and Rahne was so worried about him. She was worried about both of them...they had been put through so much pain...would they ever be the same again? She shifted her gaze back to Holmes; she noticed that Rahne was suddenly looking at him intently.

"Tabby...get mum! He's comin round!" Rahne said as she looked up at her. Tabitha and Sam both left to find Moira, Hank, Dr. Reyes and the professor as Holmes slowly opened his un-bandaged eye and looked up at Rahne.

"Hey shuga..." he said weakly. Rahne reached down and gently took his hand. _'Thank ye God...'_ she thought as she stroked his cheek.

"Luv...I thought ye were goin tae leave me..." she sniffed. "How do ye feel?" she asked him after a moment.

"Horrible...and I'm starving..." he muttered.

"I'll get ye some soup" she said as she started to get up. She was startled when he suddenly grabbed her arm and held her tight.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She had never seen him look more serious or concerned as he did at that moment. He was still dazed and numb from the injuries and the anesthetic, but even this drug induced haze couldn't prevent him from reliving every horror of the past seven days. Rahne was deeply moved that his first thought was for her...he was still in serious condition, but he didn't seem to care at all.

"Luv, I'm fine...muh body rejected those bloody implants..." she reassured him.

"I was so afraid they'd hurt ya..." he said. "They..." he didn't finish, he heard Moira and the others coming.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." she said as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek and went to get him something to eat.

"Welcome back fluffy." Tabitha whispered as she hugged him, trying her best not to hurt him.

"Tabby...ya'll ok?" he asked as Sam joined her at his side.

"We got a little beat up, but we're gonna make it." Sam answered as Hank began to examine him.

"You gave us quite a scare there my friend." Hank said as he sat down next to him and began to take his pulse. "Holmes, this is Dr. Reyes...she's a very dear friend of mine, you can trust her." he said, as he felt Holmes' tense up and his heart rate spike.

"Thanks fer pullin me through..." he said weakly as he tried to calm himself. It hadn't been enough for Animus to torture him, he had used him like a lab animal and the sight of an unfamiliar doctor had terrified him.

"Josh saved your life...it nearly cost him his own." Hank said.

"Is he gonna make it?" Holmes asked.

"Yes...he's very weak though...it'll be awhile before he can use his powers again..." Dr. Reyes answered.

"How bad am I hurt?" he asked, still dazed.

"Can you give us some privacy?" Dr. Reyes asked as she nodded toward the door. Sam and Tabitha both stepped outside as Hank closed the door behind them.

"I hardly know where to begin..." she told him. "You have four broken ribs, a broken right arm and two stress fractured vertebrae in your back. You have a torn meniscus and ACL in your right knee as well as other serious tendon and ligament damage...we're going to have to go back in and do more surgery for you to be able to walk again, but I have a friend whose one of the best."

"What the Hell?! Why can't I move this hand?!" Holmes interrupted, they had him strapped to the bed to keep him from aggravating his back injury, he'd though that arm was strapped down too, but he'd finally sobered up enough to realize he couldn't even move his fingers.

"You've suffered severe nerve damage in your left arm due to these lacerations...its going to require extensive physical therapy and even then, you may not regain any significant use of that hand." Dr. Reyes said as she paused for a moment, trying not too seem to cold and unfeeling; she'd done this hundreds of times, but it never seemed to get any easier. She had to be honest with him, but this was devastating news for anyone, let alone someone like Holmes.

"What about ma eye...?" Holmes asked, not really wanting to hear her answer.

"Thats the worst part...it was completely destroyed...I had to remove what was left."

"Do ya have any good news?!" he asked.

"The good news is Josh was able to heal the damage to your internal organs as well as your brain injuries and you're going to live."

"But I'm half blind, crippled and completely useless..." Holmes choked out, trying his best not to breakdown in front of them.

"You're not useless Holmes! We're not going to abandon you just because you're hurt...you're an important part of this family and we're all going to help you through this." Xavier said emphatically.

"I've got to give you my honest opinion; given your current physical condition, I don't believe you'll ever fully recover...Josh managed to reactivate your healing factor, but its very weak...your body has been pushed past its limit and almost completely drained of the nutrients needed for your healing factor to function properly...thats also why you can't change forms..."she said. "But I'm no expert on healing factors, or mutant werewolves...given enough time, your nerves may regenerate...I wish I had something more definite to tell you, but I just don't know." she added "...Mike, this is going to be a long, and I'm afraid, very painful recovery for you." Dr. Reyes said. "You've got to understand that you shouldn't even be alive, you can't expect to recover from something like this overnight."

"I know..." he said.

"And I know how hard this is for you..." Xavier said as he came to his bedside. "You don't have to pretend that it doesn't hurt, not anymore...you've carried this burden long enough, just rest now and let us help you."

"Let me ask ye one question." Moira said, realizing Xavier and Reyes were only making him feel worse. "If ye'd known it would end this way, would ye ha' stayed at home?"

"No!" Holmes snapped. "How th hell can ya even ask me that?!"

"Tae prove a muh point." Moira said calmly, ignoring the cold look she was getting from Dr. Reyes and Xavier. "If ye'd decided ne'er tae put on tha' uniform, ye'd be fine...but ye stood up and fought fer what's right and this is th price ye pay for it." "I had tae watch Charles pay th same price fer wha' he believes in, but he ne'er gave up, and neither can ye...ye've saved a lot of lives today, but yuir fights nae over."

"How are th others?" Holmes asked after a moment's silence. There was a lot of truth in Moira's words, even if they were difficult to hear...standing up for what's right is never easy and the cost is often high, he only had to look at his dad to understand that. But Rahne was worth it, the team was worth it, and he made up his mind he wasn't going to lie there and feel sorry for himself anymore.

"Except for some cuts and bruises, Rahne and Tabitha are fine, physically...as are Piotr, Roberto, Alex, Bobby and Ororo. Psychologically, they're in terrible shape, they blame themselves for hurting you and the others, even though they had no control over themselves." Xavier told him.

"Danielle wasn't so lucky and it looks like she'll be keeping you company in rehab Holmes, her knee was seriously injured as well and she'll undergo surgery tomorrow morning." Hank informed him. "Kurt was also injured by Wolfsbane, but he'll soon make a full recovery thanks to Josh...as will the others." "Except for Sam" He added "I'm sure you noticed his arm, it was compound fracture...one of the worst I've ever seen...its amazing he was still able to carry you out after losing so much blood."

"Even more amazing he's up and around already." Reyes added.

"I was able tae reverse th effects of Animus' experiment and Kitty, Jamie and Jubilee are going tae make a full recovery...its jus going tae take time and they'll be very ill fer the next month or so." Moira said.

"Th other mutants they captured...what happened to 'em? ...did any of 'em make it?" Holmes asked, reliving the horror of kicking in those doors. Moira, Hank, Xavier and Dr. Reyes all looked at each other, then at the floor, then finally back at him...it was clear they wished he hadn't asked that question and they were obviously torn as to whether they should tell him the truth.

"One of them died on the way here, and another shortly after they arrived...there was nothing we could do...not even Josh could save her." Xavier answered. "The other ten all made it through surgery, but they're all in critical condition...several of them are comatose and all of them are so traumatized its been almost impossible, even for me, to help them."

"We're still trying to identify all of them and contact their families..." Hank said as Sam knocked on the door and opened it to let Rahne in.

"Good, thank ye luv" Moira said as she cleared a space on the small table in the corner for Rahne to set the tray of food.

"Holmes, I know you're hungry, but I want you to take it easy, too much food too fast is dangerous for someone in your condition...Rahne, you're going to have to help him anyway, don't let him get sick." Dr. Reyes warned.

"Mike, one of us is going to be up at all times in case any of you need anything...and we'll be in every hour to check on you...you're safe here, nobody's going to hurt you anymore." Hank said. "And now I think you and Ms. Sinclair deserve some time to yourselves." he added as he ushered the others out.

"Hang in there fluffy..." Tabitha said as she bent down and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you..." she whispered.

"We'll see ya tomorrow, if ya need anything, let me know." Sam said as he and Tabitha turned and followed the others.

"Luv...tha soups tae hot right now...ye'll ha' tae wait...I'm sorry, I know yuir're hungry." Rahne said as she sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Its ok, I'm not really hungry anymore." he said.

"Ye need tae eat luv; wha's wrong?" Rahne asked. She already knew the answer, but what do you say to someone who just found out he'll never be able to use his left arm again and you're the reason why?

"They killed 'em Rahne..." He said. "They killed those kids and there wasn't shit I could do..."

"There was nothin any of us could do...I know, I was there...they tried everything...even Josh couldn't help her" Rahne said as tears filled her eyes. It had been a horrible experience; that poor girl had died right in front of her and she would never be able to forget the look in her eyes at her final moment.

"I can still hear 'em screaming..." he muttered as he looked away at the wall.

"Ye did everything ye could...ye were a victim too...and tha could ha' been me screaming if ye had nae protected me..." Rahne said. "Ye did more than anyone could ever ha' th right tae ask of ye...I dinnae know how ye could be so brave after all they did tae ye."

"I wasn't brave Rahne...I wanted to tell...more than anything I wanted to, anything to make him stop...he tore me down to nothing." Holmes said as tears began to run down his cheek. He made no effort to hide it and it hurt Rahne to see him so upset; yet she was so taken with his devotion to her that for a moment she didn't have the words to tell him how she truly felt. "I betrayed you." he choked out as he completely broke down.

"Matt...it doesn't matter what ye wanted, its what ye did tha counts." Rahne said. "Ye sacrificed yuir life fer me and th children. Ye could ne'er betray me...ye truly are a gift from God."

"I _**wanted**_ to tell him Rahne... and I couldn't stop Mentalo...I'm not..."

"Ye hold yuirself tae an impossible standard." She interrupted. "I know how ye were raised and all yuir're trying tae live up tae, but tha's nae wha makes ye strong...standin fer wha' ye believe in even though ye were scared and hurt and alone...tha's what makes ye strong...ye didnae tell them anything and ye should be proud of tha."

"I _was_ scared...that son of a bitch enjoyed what he was doing to me...they all did...they enjoyed butchering those kids...it was a joke to 'em...they laughed about it..."

"I know..." Rahne said as she reached over and took his hand. "I know how badly ye wanted to fight back, but could nae... how they had all th control, how they could violate yuir body and there was nae a damn thing ye could do tae stop them...I know how degrading and humiliating it is...how ye cannae get it out of yuir head, or stop second guessing yuirself...I know..." Rahne said.

"Rahne, ya know there's nothin those filthy bastards could ever do to make me stop lovin ya." he said emphatically. "Whatever happened, ya can tell me." he said as he held her hand.

"They tried tae rape me..." Rahne sobbed as she turned away. He felt like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer, he didn't know what to do, or to say, there was no way he would ever really know what she was going through even though they had tortured him too. He wondered how she could even stand to have him touch her, even though they hadn't actually done it, he knew she must feel filthy. They had taken the ultimate expression of love and twisted it into an unspeakable act of violence and cruelty...something inside of him died at that moment and he'd never believe in the professor's ideals again.

"I love ya Rahne, I always will." he whispered as he squeezed her hand.

"Why don't ya'll give 'em what dignity they've got left?!" Tabitha snapped as she closed the door at the end of the hall. "Don't ya'll ever let him know ya saw him like that!" she said as Sam put his good arm around her and they left. An awkward silence descended as Kurt, Rogue, Jean, Scott, Danielle and Remy all looked to the professor and Dr. McCoy, they didn't know what to do...they had been so concerned with getting their friends back that they hadn't stopped to consider what their terrible ordeal had done to them. Even though Tabitha had saved Rahne, they knew she'd be traumatized, but the sight of Holmes crying had shocked everyone, as had Tabitha's outburst...it was obvious to all of them that she was also crying when she and Sam left.

"Their reactions are perfectly normal, considering what they've experienced." Xavier said calmly. "It's difficult for us to understand what they've been through and as much as we'd like to help them, it's important that we give them their privacy. Right now they're all angry, scared and ashamed...they're in no mood to talk about it with anyone. It's important that we're here for them, but I don't want you to push them to discuss anything that happened, unless they bring it up...when they're ready, I'll talk to them about it, but for now, they need to know they're safe and they're still part of this family." Xavier said as he sent them off to bed.

* * *

Holmes woke with a start and winced in pain, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming; for a moment he thought he was back on Paradise Island, but his fear left him when he looked over at the chair beside his bed and saw Rahne sleeping there, albeit fitfully. He quietly thanked God that he and his friends were alive and safe and that Rahne loved him as he lay there, watching her. He turned his head as he heard the door open and he saw Moira coming toward him in the dim light. _'No one so good should ha' tae suffer like this.'_ She thought as she looked at them. _'I wish I could take this pain away from ye.'_

"Yui're both safe now." she said gently. "I jus came tae change yuir bandages, but it looks like yui're in capable hands...it can wait." She whispered as she bent down and adjusted his pillow for him and pulled the blanket back up over Rahne. "Thank ye...thank ye fer protectin her...fer protectin all of us...if ye'd told them about this place...they'd ha' wiped us out, we couldn't ha' stopped th others without killin 'em."

"Dr. MacTaggert...I gotta know...are ya gonna make her stay here because of what happened?" he asked. Moira took a deep breath as she remembered holding her sobbing daughter as she told her every horrible detail of her assault by the guards. She relived the shock of learning that the event had only reinforced Rahne's desire to stay with the X-men and fight for the institute's ideals. She had tried to talk her out of it, but Rahne told her she wouldn't hide from her responsibility; she was going to fight so that no other child would grow up the way she did and no other mutant would be tortured the way those kids were. She said that God had a plan for her life and that she was going to ensure that some good came out of the horror that she and the others had endured.

"I know ya love her...but so do I, and I don't wanna lose her again..." Holmes said. "And I know I don't have th right to ask this, but please...let her make her own decision..."

"It took years tae undo th damage Craig did tae her, she was so shy and insecure and so utterly convinced she was worthless and evil ...I guess I got used tae thinking of Rahne as someone who needed protecting...tha was wrong and I only hurt her more." Moira said. "She was miserable here, she's got no friends, no one who understands her, or wha she's going through...everyone hates her thanks tae Craig, she cannae even leave her own home..." Moira sighed.

"But after seeing her at th institute with ye and Tabitha and Sam, I realized tha fer th first time in her life she's truly happy. She's got friends, people who understand her and someone who loves her and treats her with th respect she deserves." she said as she put her hand on his. "I've had tae come tae accept tha Rahne's matured far beyond her years and tha helping other mutants is wha' she truly wants tae do wit' her life. I ha' tae let her make her own decisions ...and mistakes, I ha' tae let her get hurt...I can't keep trying tae shelter her from th world." "She's strong, stronger than me, stronger than anyone I've ever known, but it's a quiet strength...I guess sometimes...I forget tha..." Moira said as she wiped a tear from her eye. She quietly gave him another shot of painkiller to help him sleep and left the room. Holmes lay there, thinking about what she had said...Rahne never ceased to inspire him, after all she'd been through she only cared about helping others... '_I love her, more than anything I love her, even though I'll never be good enough for her'_ he thought as the pain killers kicked in and he drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

Rahne sat up and rubbed her eyes, her back and neck hurt from sleeping in that chair and it had been a horrible night...a living hell filled with terrible nightmares and flashbacks. "I'm sorry, I didnae mean tae be so late..." she said as Holmes opened his eye and looked up at her.

"You've been taking care of me and everybody else since we got back...ya need to take some time fer yerself." he said. He felt like a burden on her; he knew she was torn apart inside after what had happened to her and more than anything, he wanted to take care of her...to help her feel better, but he couldn't do that...all he could do was lie there, completely useless.

Rahne shook her head and smiled weakly, trying to control her emotions as she started to change his bandages. "I'll nae sit about crying and feeling sorry fer muhself...nae when yui're lying here, torn tae pieces because of me..."

"Don't talk that way." He said as she started to cry again. "Hodge did this! You fought back Rahne; you beat him when everybody else was too weak!" Seeing her like that absolutely tore him apart, "you're all that kept me going." he said as he reached out and took her hand.

"I'm sorry...I promised muhself that I'd be strong like ye are." she sniffed.

"You're stronger than I could ever be shuga..." He said as he pulled her down to sit beside him. "It's ok to cry Rahne, but not because ya think you're responsible fer what happened to me."

"I'm crying because I love ye Mike...and it hurts tae see ye like this." she said as she wiped her eyes.

"You're worth everything that happened to me." he whispered.

"Is tha why ye won't cry about wha happened?" she asked.

"It was my choice and I'd do it again!"

"I know, but tha's not wha' I asked." She said, trying to calm him. The pain killer made him drowsy and irritable and he was already an emotional train wreck. "Ye've cried fer me...ye can cry fer yuirself." she said as she gently stroked his cheek.

"All right Damn It! I'm scared Rahne...is that what ya wanna hear?!" he snapped. "What am I gonna do now? ...what good am I with only one arm? ...I can't fight, I can't even hold you..." he said as tears began to well up in his eye.

"There's plenty of ways ye can help th others without fighting." Rahne said. "And I can hold ye….it's going tae be all right….we'll work this out…." She said, trying to comfort him.

"You don't have to stay with me Rahne….." he said. If he hadn't had an eye injury, she would have slapped him for saying that. She knew the pain killers were affecting him, but it still made her angry and she let him know it.

"Dinnae treat me like a stupid little girl!" Rahne yelled as her emotions got the better of her and her fangs and fur started to grow. "How th hell can ye say somethin like tha' tae me?! I dinnae care wha' ye look like! Ye were willing tae die tae protect me! ... I love ye, and nothing they did can change tha!"

"I'm sorry Rahne….I didn't mean it like that…but I know I must look like hell under these bandages and I'm never gonna be anything but a burden to ya now..." he sniffed as he wiped his eye. "I just wanna take care of ya….I just wanna make ya happy….I don't know that I can do that anymore…."

"This does nae change anythin between us..." she said as she regained her composure and returned to human form. "We still love each other and we're still going tae be together." she said as she kissed him. "Luv, promise me tha' when ye look in th mirror, ye'll try tae see wha' I see and nae wha' Hodge made me do tae ye..."

"I promise Rahne, but now you promise me that you'll never blame yerself fer ma eye or ma arm and from now on, you'll try to see what I see and not what that stupid old man tried to make ya."

"I promise luv." Rahne whispered as she kissed him and then began to change his bandages again. He was right, if she ever needed more proof that Reverend Craig was a bitter, hateful old fool, she only had to look at Holmes and remember what he'd done for her. In spite of all that had happened to her, she began to feel better...she knew she was loved, it was the same feeling she'd had years before when Moira told her she wanted her to be her daughter.

"It's really nae tha' bad." Rahne said as she removed the last of the bandages and handed him a mirror.

"Ugh...damn." he muttered as he looked in the mirror. "So much fer ma good side..."

"Ye still look good tae me." Rahne said, trying to reassure him.

"You're a terrible liar shuga..." He said as she unwrapped the bandages on his arm and began to clean the wounds. "How th hell can ya stand to look at this!?" He asked, disgusted by the sight of the empty socket and stitched up gashes staring back at him.

"Because I luv ye." Rahne said emphatically. "Why don't ye try moving yuir hand?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ok shuga, but I think one miracle is all we can hope fer..." he muttered.

"Ye know ye jus' moved yuir finger?!" Rahne asked, elated at even this small amount of progress. "Tha's wonderful!"

"Yeah, I need that one to flip Iceman off..." Holmes muttered.

"Stop being sarcastic Holmes..." Dr. Reyes said as she and Hank joined Rahne at his bedside. As capable as Rahne was, they knew she'd need help properly caring for his eye and they'd come to help.

"Then he'd have to be quiet, and we all know that's not going to happen." Hank said, placing a massive blue paw on Rahne's shoulder. Reyes might not be able to see any improvement in Holmes' mental state, but to him it was as obvious as night and day and he knew it was all thanks to Rahne.

"Are you always like this or do you just need more pain killer?" she asked.

"I've been this way fer years...and I don't need anymore of that crap, stop doping me up all th' time." Holmes answered.

"I think we can ease off on the dosage if you can stand it." She answered.

"Thanks."

"Any blurred vision?" she asked, examining his good eye.

"No...just no depth perception..." he muttered.

"That's normal." Hank told him.

"Ok then, let me take a look at the other one...Rahne, I'll need your help." Reyes answered as she handed Rahne a small light and began to examine his eye socket. "Hank, have a look at this..." She said after a moment.

"What's wrong now?" Holmes asked as Hank took the light from Rahne and began to examine him.

"Nothing Holmes...you're healing a little quicker than we thought is all." Dr. Reyes answered as she and Hank bandaged his face again.

"Yui're jus' full o' surprises aren't ye..." Moira said as she came in with Holmes' and Rahne's breakfast. "I hope ye like this Matt...I'm sorry, but I really dinnae know what ye like tae eat fer breakfast and I knew this wouldn't upset yuir stomach tae badly." She said as Rahne offered him a spoonful of oatmeal. Moira and the others left the room to give them a little privacy, his right arm was in a cast from the elbow down to his thumb and since his shoulder was severely bruised and swollen, he had to have help to eat now that his left forearm and hand were almost completely paralyzed.

* * *

"What did ye see when ye took those bandages off...really?" Moira asked as she, Hank and Reyes walked back down the hall.

"His eye is starting to regenerate...we still don't know how complete his recovery will be due to the stress on his healing factor and we didn't want to give him false hope until we've had a few days to observe him and run more tests." hanks answered.

"Fair enough, but what do ye think is going tae happen?"

"That he'll always be blind in that eye and he'll be crippled for life, but he'll be out of that bed soon...he's strong Moira, and he's got a reason to want to get well, he's got Rahne." Hank told her.

* * *

Holmes and Rahne had been together for most of the morning, but now she had gone to thank Josh for saving him and to visit the other students and the little mutants. He'd had another talk with the professor and Tabitha had been by to keep him company. Laura came too and although she didn't really know what to say to him, it was enough that she cared and even in all his pain Holmes was glad she was finding her humanity.

He looked up as Sam knocked and came into his room. "I know you'd probably rather be alone...but..." he said.

"I wish ya'll would quit makin such a damn fuss over me!" Holmes interrupted angrily. He didn't mean to be rude to Sam, but he had seen the others peeking in at him all morning and he was more than a little tired of it. After Laura left he said he didn't want anyone other than Tabitha, Sam and Rahne to visit him; he'd talk to the others when he was ready. He had always prided himself on being strong and now he couldn't even sit up without help; he hated for anybody to see him like this. "Look bubba, I'm sorry...I didn't mean that..." he said after a moment.

"I know" Sam said as he pulled up a chair.

"How ya holdin up?" Sam asked.

"I'm strapped to th bed and they're feeding me oatmeal..." Holmes answered.

"Guess that was a stupid question." Sam muttered.

"Damn right it was..." Holmes said. "How bout you...how's th arm?"

"Hurts like hell" Sam answered. "Th bones tore through th skin..." He said holding up his cast.

"Awww..." Holmes teased when he saw that the little mutants had already doodled all over it.

"You're next asshole." Sam said. Holmes motioned for him to come closer as he took a marker in his good hand and scrawled "your face here" with an arrow pointing at Sam's knuckles. At that point Sam began to feel a little better, if Holmes could still screw around with him after all he'd been through then maybe he'd be alright given time.

"How'd ya beat him with only one arm?" Holmes asked.

"I absorbed th energy of his punch when he broke it and used it t' supercharge th blast from ma other hand...I'm just glad it didn't hurt him any worse than it did..." Sam told him. "Cause it blew his ass clean outta th building."

"Thanks fer savin mine" Holmes said. As strong as Sam was, he could have been killed...he'd seen him take out at least six sentinels and no telling how many armored suits and RIGHT grunts...his energy reserves must have been near zero when he'd taken on Roberto.

"Holmes...you're ma best friend...I'd never leave ya behind." Sam told him.

"I just wish I was gonna be there to watch yer back from now on..." Holmes sighed.

"What th hell?! You're not quittin are ya?!" Sam asked. "Mike, I know you're hurt bad, but that eye ain't th end of th world...I mean look at Colonel Fury."

"It ain't th eye, its ma arm...th nerves are cut...its shot to hell and so is ma knee...and I'm never gonna get any better." Holmes said bitterly. " I thought Doc and th boss told ya'll..."

"No...damn it, I'm sorry..." Sam muttered. He had no idea his healing factor was that weak, none of them did, they all expected him to be up and around by the end of the week.

"Fer what? ...I'm alive because of you..." Holmes said.

"It just ain't right...ya already suffered so much protectin everybody here...it ought t' be me in that bed instead of you..."

"None of us ought t' be here Sam..." Holmes said. "What th' hell is wrong with you?" he asked. He'd seen survivor's guilt before and it hurt him to see Sam suffering like this in what should have been his moment of triumph. He'd proved himself in battle and as a leader and he'd saved everyone, Holmes had always been impressed by Sam, but he had a whole new respect for him now and it really hurt that he couldn't stand beside his friend any longer. "I'd be dead and Rahne would be wrecked if ya hadn't saved me…..we'd **all **be dead if it wasn't fer you. There's nothing you could have done differently so stop thinking about it….stop comparing yerself to Scott, yer not like him, yer a different kind of leader….a better leader if ya ask me." Holmes said.

"Mike…..I'm sorry….I….."

"I know….." Holmes said.

"Holmes." Logan interrupted, "your parents want to talk to you."

"I'll come back later." Sam said as he got up to leave.

"Don't worry, we told them what happened...and why...they've been talking to the professor for over an hour now." Logan said as he handed Holmes the phone and followed Sam out.

* * *

"Feeling guilty for making it outta that battle in one piece isn't gonna get Holmes outta that bed, or give him his arm back...its not gonna help those kids we pulled outta that lab either." Logan said as he and Sam walked out into the hall.

"I know..." Sam muttered, feeling ashamed of himself.

"That don't make it any easier does it?" Logan asked. "You know, I been fighting for one thing or another as long as I can remember...I've lost people I care about, but I figure th best way I can honor their memories is to keep fighting for what they believed in."

"I intend to..." Sam said emphatically. He was going to honor his friend's sacrifice; he was going to fight for him and everyone else who couldn't stand up for themselves. He was going to make sure no one ever had to grow up the way Rahne and Tabitha had. He was going to be the man she needed him to be and he wasn't going to let anything come between them, she'd never be abandoned and alone again as long as he lived and he was going to make the most of every day he had with her. He knew he loved her from the moment he saw her, but losing her had been like losing a part of his soul and he knew beyond all doubt that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

* * *

"Don't cry mom...I'm alright..." Holmes sighed.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, it was worth it." he told her.

"Are ya sure about that?" she asked, remembering what Dr. Reyes had told her about his injuries. She didn't know Rahne was well as she would have liked too, she'd only talked to her over the internet when he'd come home for Christmas. She seemed like a good Christian girl, the kind of girl she'd always hoped he'd end up with. Someone who would stand by her son even though he was in such terrible condition and likely to never fully recover. She knew it didn't do any good to worry about it; Rahne must be incredible if he was willing to endure what he had for her...but still, the thought of him being hurt like that was more than she could take.

"You heard what his friends said about him." His dad interrupted. "I wish you could have heard them...we've always been proud of you, but..."

"I did what I had to do dad..."

"I know...I know..."

"How's everybody been?" he asked, wanting to change the subject...he wasn't comfortable with anyone acting like he was some kind of hero, let alone his dad.

"Worried sick, but we're all doing better now." he told him. "We can't wait to see you, especially your sister." he added.

"Ya'll comin up to New York?" Holmes asked.

"Yeah, we'll be there when ya'll get back." his dad answered. "Have you decided if you're going to take Professor Xavier up on his offer...or will you come back home with us?" He asked after a moment.

"I'm not going home dad...not after all this..." Holmes answered.


	20. Chapter 20: Fire and Fury

**Chapter 20: Fire and Fury**

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

**(One Week Later)**

Holmes progress over the past week had been nothing short of remarkable, given the severity of his injuries. Weak as his healing factor was, his fractured vertebrae had healed, as had his broken arm and ribs and he was finally able to get out of bed and resume some of his normal activities, although he now found even the simplest tasks extremely difficult. The nerves in his forearm were so severely damaged that he was only able to move his arm with the aid of a special brace, and while he had managed to regain some movement in the fingers on his left hand; he had almost no strength left in it. His knee was completely ruined and even with the aid of a stabilizing brace, he still couldn't put his full weight on it and had to rely on a crutch to walk. His right eye had regenerated, but as Dr. McCoy feared, he'd always be blind in that eye.

Despite the physical hardship he now faced, Holmes was determined to be thankful for what he had, not bitter about what he'd lost, that wasn't going to do him any good. Still, it was hard not to be angry, everything was so difficult now, it had taken fifteen minutes to get dressed this morning and even shaving was proving to be a challenge.

"Damn cheap-ass razor." Holmes grumbled as he tossed it in the trash and wiped the last bit of shaving cream off his chin. '_Sorry shuga, but I'm keepin th eyepatch.' _he thought as he leaned forward to look at his eye in the mirror. It looked awful, bloodshot and both the iris and the pupil were a cloudy gray color, he sighed in disgust and pulled the patch Colonel Fury had given him back into place.

"Hey fluffy, I found an electric razor...ya want me to give ya a haircut?" Tabitha asked as she knocked at his door. He'd been complaining about it earlier and she knew he'd never be able to cut it himself, like he used to, with his left arm out of commission.

"Yeah, come on in..." he said, thankful Tabitha would even speak to him after he'd been so mean to her yesterday. She was his best friend and he felt awful for yelling at her when she'd tried to help him up after he'd fallen. He was in pain and humiliated by the fact that he couldn't even take care of himself, but he had been totally out of line snapping at her the way he had.

"I'm sorry I was an asshole yesterday." he said meekly as he limped, painfully, out of the bathroom.

"Mike...its..."

"It's not a'ight...it was selfish and mean." he interrupted. "After everything you've done fer me and Rahne...I swear I'll never treat ya that way again, I don't deserve a friend as good as you."

"I know you're fucked up right now...ya got every right t' be, but...I don't want this to turn ya into somebody you're not..." she said as she hugged him.

"I'm never gonna be th same guy I was before all this shit got started, but I'll always be yer friend." he said as he put his arms around her and held her close. He'd been so concerned with Rahne and what had happened to her, he hadn't truly realized how deeply Tabitha had been affected.

"You and Rahne are th closest thing I've got to family...I don't wanna lose ya'll..." she sniffed as she began to cry.

"You won't...we'll get through this together Tabby." He reassured her. "I'll never hurt you like that again...I love you and I'll always be here for you."

"I love you too." she said as they both sat down on the edge of his bed. "I think I always have...not th' way I love Sam, but..."

"I know..." he whispered as he put his good arm around her. This time it was Holmes turn to drop the "hard-ass" act as he sat and talked with Tabitha, trying to put her fears to rest. He had totally lost faith in humanity; he knew the "normals" would never accept them, and Xavier's dream was just that, a dream that would never be reality. When he'd joined he'd been completely committed to the institute's ideals...now he was only committed to his teammates. Tabitha understood exactly how he felt; she and Sam both agreed that a lasting peace with the "normals" was an impossible dream, but it was still worth fighting for. He made sure she realized that no matter what happened, he'd always be by her side, helping anyway he could.

* * *

"Thanks Tabby." Holmes said as they headed upstairs for the kitchen. She'd done a great job on his hair, although it didn't exactly take a lot of skill to cut it. He always kept it high and tight and in just five minutes she had him looking like himself again.

"Ya looked better with hair." she teased.

"Ya sound like ma mom..."

"I hope Kurt didn't get into the cinnamon rolls." she muttered as he pushed the kitchen door open for her with his crutch. They were in luck, it looked like the ravenous blue elf hadn't devoured everything, yet, and they'd managed to beat most of the recruits to breakfast as well.

"Good to have you back mein frend." Kurt said as he finished off a third bowl of cereal and jumped up to greet Holmes.

"I'll say." Jean said as she got up and hugged him.

"Yeah, we were beginning to think you were never going to come out from down there." Danielle chimed in. She knew he was self-conscious about his injuries, but she'd admonished him for hiding from the recruits and the children who all wanted to thank him for protecting them. She still didn't like Holmes tough-guy act, but she knew he had a good heart and she was glad he was a part of Rahne's life now.

* * *

"Shit..." Nicholas whispered as he and several of the other recruits watched Holmes from across the room.

"I know..." Sofia whispered. "It's awful what they did to him...and Mr. Summers said he'll never get any better."

"There's nothing else Josh can do?" Nicholas asked.

"No, he nearly killed himself bringing him back." Laurie said. "And don't you dare say anything to him about it either, he feels bad enough already." She added. Josh had come to her and apologized for treating her so badly and she'd given him another chance since it was obvious he was trying to change. They'd confided in each other and he'd admitted how awful he felt about not being able to save the little girl from Animus' lab and how he was too weak to fully heal Holmes. Josh and Holmes both felt guilty about misjudging each other, but Josh had tried to sabotage Holmes' and Rahne's relationship and he felt he owed Holmes more. He wasn't thinking about himself anymore, he genuinely wanted Rahne to be happy with Holmes, but he wondered if they could really enjoy being intimate with each other now that he looked so terrible and he had lost the use of an arm.

"You guys better take a good look at him...we could all end up like that...or worse." David, the oldest of the recruits, whispered. Josh had liked to think he was top dog, but everyone knew it was David and Sofia that kept the team on track and out of trouble. "Now come on, we need to at least tell him thank you." He said as he got up and led the others over to speak to Holmes. He was embarrassed, but he tried to be gracious and he was touched that the new students genuinely seemed concerned about him. He felt like an ass, he'd never really tried to get to know them and he hadn't done anything to make them feel welcome. They'd all been intimidated by him when they arrived and some of them still were, but whatever his reasons, he'd protected them and they were grateful.

* * *

"Ya'll seen Rahne this mornin?" Holmes asked Jean as Tabitha handed him a bowl of cereal.

"Yeah, she's helping watch the little mutants." She told him. "They've been driving Rogue nuts..."

"They'll be glad to see ya fluff, they've been askin about ya all week." Tabitha added.

"Have ya'll told 'em what I look like now?" he asked. The right side of his face was a mess of jagged red scars and the eye patch didn't help; he didn't know how the little ones would react to such gruesome injuries.

"Ja, I told zem you look like Colonel Fury now." Kurt teased, trying to cheer Holmes up.

"Ya just be glad I don't have good depth perception anymore." Holmes said, pretending he was going to hit him.

"Holmes!" Megan squealed as she came in the kitchen and saw him. "You jerk! Why wouldn't you let us come see you?!" she asked as she ran up and hugged him. She almost yanked him out of his chair she was so happy to see him.

"Go easy on him Meg." Tabitha said as she gave Holmes a knowing grin.

"I'm sorry." she apologized. "I'm just glad you're ok...Rahne told us what happened to you...thank you." she said as she hugged him again and gave him a kiss right on his scarred cheek.

"Damn Pixie, not you too..." he said as he noticed the bullet holes in her butterfly-like wings, it must hurt even though she didn't show it. The sight of her injured made his blood boil; she was just a kid, she was completely harmless and those bastards had tried to kill her! _'It's over now...they're all dead or in prison._' he tried to tell himself, but it didn't help much. Jean and Danielle both exchanged uneasy glances, they'd both felt his anger...it was so strong it was almost overwhelming and Kurt had also noticed the vicious look in his eye. Even though it hadn't lasted that long, it was disturbing to say the least, not like anything they'd ever seen or felt in him before.

"They said I'll be flying again in a week or two." she beamed, flattered that Holmes was obviously so worried about her; she was quite taken with him after what Rahne had told her. Holmes sighed as he watched her take her plate to join the other recruits; she looked like she belonged in a Disney movie instead of a super hero team, with her pink hair and fairy wings, and he hoped that he was wrong and that Xavier really could stop this madness before she ever had to put herself in harms way.

* * *

"Mike…have you talked to Josh yet?" Danielle asked as they ate their breakfast. It had taken a while, but they were becoming friends and Jean was glad to see Holmes opening up to more people.

"He's been avoiding me Dani." Holmes said. "Rahne said he was a wreck when she went to thank him and I asked her to tell him to come see me…but he hasn't." He explained. Danielle nodded, Rahne had told her how worried she was about Josh, but she was afraid to get too involved because of his prior infatuation with her, his current relationship with Laurie and all her trauma and difficulty with her powers. Danielle had tried to talk to him, with limited success and she really hoped Holmes would be able to lift his spirits. Roberto had been devastated that he'd nearly killed two of his friends, but was making progress now that he knew Holmes and Sam didn't hate him or hold him responsible for nearly killing them. Danielle prayed Holmes would be able to do the same for Josh.

"He's going through a lot right now." Danielle explained. "That attack….that was almost too much for us to deal with and we're New Mutants. Then there's the fact that he couldn't save that poor little girl, or heal all your injuries…it's just too much for someone his age to deal with."

"Rahne and Tabitha's lives have been a hundred times worse." Holmes said bluntly. "They're not falling apart."

"That's kind of my point." Danielle said. "Josh has had an easy life, he's never had to struggle like they have and he's never had to fight like you and I have…he doesn't have anything to fall back on and he doesn't know how to deal with all this…..he needs our help…..he needs _your_ help."

"Come on fluffy." Tabitha said quietly as she helped him up. "You and Dani are all he's got." She said as she helped Danielle to her feet as well. Tabitha's thoughtful and caring side was on full display now and she really felt awful for Josh. She never really wanted to be a hero and she didn't like fighting any more than Rahne did, but they were both strong and capable and they'd never had any illusions about what they were getting into. Neither of them had ever really had a childhood and they'd been forced to grow up before their time, but Josh was still a naïve kid and being exposed to the real world was devastating for him.

* * *

"Josh, open up." Holmes said as they came to his door. Josh slowly opened his door and it was obvious he'd had a really rough night and morning. He'd been crying and Holmes knew he was probably embarrassed, but he knew it was nothing to be ashamed of. "You never have let me thank you fer saving me." Holmes said as he and Danielle hobbled into his room. "I can't ever thank you enough and I really don't have the words to tell you how grateful I am…"

"I didn't do enough." Josh muttered as he wiped his eyes.

"You saved my life!" Holmes said emphatically. "Rahne and I can be happy together now…."

"But you're crippled…..and I can't fix you….not now…."

"I'm alive. That's what matters." Holmes said. He was trying to be brave and positive, but he really was heartbroken over his condition and he was afraid he'd never really be able to make Rahne happy sexually or take care of her the way he always wanted to. Still, he was alive and they were together and it was due to Josh's selfless actions. "Josh, you could have been killed but you didn't care…..you saved me…..you're th' hero you always wanted to be."

"I don't want to be a hero!" Josh sobbed as he broke down and Danielle held him in her arms trying to comfort him. "This is a nightmare! I just want to go home! I just want to be normal again!" he cried.

"We all want to be normal again Josh." Holmes said as he hobbled over and put his hand on his shoulder. "But we're not and we can't go home…..I don't know why God chose us, but he did and we can't hide from our responsibility."

"It gets better Josh." Danielle said as she rubbed her hand across his back trying to make the pain go away. "We're a family and you're never alone, no matter how awful you feel you can talk to us."

"It will get better, but it won't happen over night." Holmes said, remembering what Rahne had told him. He, Josh and Danielle talked for a while and the younger boy began to feel better, knowing that Holmes was grateful, rather than resentful and that despite their past differences he really cared about him. It was still very hard for Josh to accept the death of the little girl, but he had done everything possible and the poor child had simply lost the will to live after all the cruelty and pain she'd endured. Holmes told him she was safe in heaven now and while Josh wanted that to be true, faith had never been important to him and after everything he'd seen he was beginning to question it.

* * *

**Hammer Bay - Genosha**

"Wanda, I don't deny that they're very brave, but they're also very stupid." Eric said as he considered his daughter's request.

"Dad, all I'm saying is that we all want a world that's safe for mutants…..maybe now they realize that we have to fight for it….maybe now they're willing to listen to reason." She pleaded.

"Charles wouldn't listen to reason even after he saw his own students turned into slaves." Eric reminded her.

"Ray came to his senses, I'm sure some of the others must feel the same way he does, especially after what happened to DireWulf." Wanda said.

"I won't let anyone stand in the way of our plans and I'll do whatever is necessary…..but I would rather not see them die in order for our dream to be realized." Eric said as he turned and stared out the window. "This is a dangerous and I believe futile mission, but it's clearly important to you…..you have my permission." He said after a moment.

"Thank you." She said as she turned to leave. She knew her father was probably right, the X-Men were fanatical in their devotion to Xavier and despite the devastating blow they'd just been dealt, they were unlikely to abandon his cause. But it hadn't been so long ago that Xavier and her father had parted ways, she could still remember the days when she'd lived at the institute and Jean and Scott had been her best friends. She knew Xavier had the best of intentions, but she didn't want to see her old friends take one more step on the road to hell that was paved with them, she didn't want to see anyone else end up like DireWulf.

* * *

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

**(Several Hours Later)**

Holmes yawned lazily as he waked and shifted slightly in the recliner, trying not to disturb Rahne who was sleeping with him. He'd come to see her and help with the little mutants, much to Rogue's relief, but they'd obviously fallen asleep once the little ones decided they wanted to watch **Lord of the Rings.** He glanced around the room to see that most of the others had come up to join them, the recruits had claimed one of the sofas and Kurt, Bobby, Danielle and Roberto had squeezed onto the other while Sam and Tabitha had retreated to the smaller one in the corner along with Piotr and Kitty. Everyone else was scattered across the carpet with the little mutants.

He turned his attention back to the beautiful little red head next to him, sleeping peacefully for the first time in two weeks. _'God, help me let go of this hate...' _he prayed. He was still holding back a lot of anger over what had happened to her, but Rahne didn't need him to be angry, she needed him to be understanding. Thanks to her love and support he was beginning to accept his condition and come to terms with what had happened to him and there was no way he was going to allow himself to get so caught up in his anger and desire for revenge that he couldn't give her the love and attention she needed.

* * *

"That tickles." Tabitha giggled as Sam kissed her on the neck. He'd shaved two weeks of unkempt beard into a goatee and she loved this new look.

"I can go get rid of it if it's botherin ya." he offered.

"No way, this is a good look fer ya...I love it." she said as she snuggled next to him on the sofa. "Besides, ya were beginning to look too much like Mike" she added as she ran her fingers through his hair, what little was left. Sam smiled as he lay back and held her in his arms; she was so beautiful, he was sure she could have any guy she wanted...and she'd chosen him over all the other guys at the institute.

"The professor wants us to come downstairs for a special meeting." Scott whispered as he and Jean walked in. "You two will definitely need to be there." he told Tabitha and Sam as Jean began to tell the others.

"Holmes..."

"Shhh!" he hissed.

'_Awww...she looks like a little sleeping angel...'_ Jean said telepathically. _'I'm sorry Holmes, but the professor wants us all to come downstairs for a special meeting.'_

'_Not now__..this is the first time she's been able to sleep without having nightmares...'_ he answered.

'_I understand, and if he wasn't going to promote Tabitha and Sam to the X-Men I wouldn't ask, but I thought you two would want to be there.' _

'_We'll be there.'_ he answered. "Rahne." he said gently as he nudged her and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Wha?" she asked sleepily.

"Th professor's got some boring meeting planned, but he's gonna promote Tabby and Sam to th' X-Men, so I thought we outta be there." he whispered.

"He should promote ye tae." she said as she sat up.

"Wouldn't be much point anymore." he answered as she helped him up out of the recliner and handed him his crutch. "Come on shuga, lets go fer them."

"Yea, yui're right." Rahne said as she smiled, thinking how happy this would make Sam and Tabitha. If anybody deserved to be X-Men, they did; she and Holmes wouldn't be together today without them.

* * *

"I'd like to thank you all for being here." Xavier said as everyone was seated in the briefing room. Everyone except Alex had showed up, even Kitty, Jamie and Jubilee, who still weren't feeling well. Rahne was pleased to see that they all seemed to take Tabitha and Sam's promotion to the X-Men as seriously as she did. Holmes was disappointed Alex hadn't come, he'd done his best to try to convince him not to blame himself, but Alex was so wracked with guilt that there was no consoling him and every time he looked at Holmes he felt terrible.

"First let me commend you all for your actions on Paradise Island, you've all done an exemplary job under the most difficult of circumstances...I only wish your victory had not come at so high a price." he said as his eyes met Holmes'. "I know many of you have questions about the RIGHT's attack on the institute and our rescue mission to Paradise Island, so I've asked Colonel Fury to help me fill you in on the details." He said as he rolled away from the podium and Colonel Fury prepared to speak.

"I know most of you are still wondering who RIGHT is and how they came by M.R.D.'s equipment." he began. "Well, thats simple enough to answer...Cameron Hodge, the director of M.R.D. is also the commander of RIGHT, he was given far too much authority, probably by some of Senator Kelly's friends, which allowed him to post nothing but RIGHT operatives at two of M.R.D.'s bases and completely control everything going in or out. Since the RIGHT operatives were 'officially' employed by M.R.D., it made it easy to hide where the money and equipment was going." "Most of the actual RIGHT troops and commanders were Ex-Genoshan special forces and regular army troops that survived the Genoshan War and the Purge."

"How did th Gengineer get involved?" Moira asked.

"Moreau has been on the run for years, so I don't know exactly how, or when Hodge met up with that bastard, but he's the one who made the attack on the institute possible." he answered. "Hodge's men captured Alex and Moreau pumped him full of the nano machines he used to control the mutants back on Genosha before Magento took over. All they had to do was wait for the right moment to strike...which was when you came to visit Moira...they wanted to kill you to keep you from finding a cure for their mutant plague."

"What about Animus and that monster who tortured Holmes?" Jean asked.

"Animus' escape from prison was obviously orchestrated by Hodge...his knowledge of genetics was extensive and he had absolutely no conscience, he was the perfect choice." Fury stated. "Peter Gyrich was a C.I.A. agent who disappeared in Afghanistan a year and a half ago. He was an expert in intelligence gathering and interrogation." "I have no doubt he had a significant role in planning the raid on the institute, but I'm not sure how he ended up with Hodge; I read his file and there was nothing there to suggest he had any irrational hatred of mutants, but we'll never know for sure."

"So what was Hodge's grand scheme anyway?" Scott asked.

"Hodge wanted to wipe you out after you almost exposed him in Montana, which is why he captured your brother. He had a back up plan if some of you escaped, and that was to capture the more powerful X-Men, brainwash them and use them to protect his base from the rest of you while Animus was perfecting that virus. If that didn't work, he was going to copy Stryker and use them to attack the White House and the Capitol, as well as assassinate several key world leaders...thereby starting a worldwide crackdown on mutants and eventually an invasion of Genosha."

"What kind of bullets were they using at th institute?" Holmes asked.

"Mercury tipped hollow points." Fury answered. "Meant to counteract your healing factor."

"Where did those two Sabertooth clones come from?" Logan asked.

"Looks like the work of Mr. Sinister." Fury said. "There was some cloning equipment found that was more advanced than anything I've ever seen...decades ahead of what Hydra used to create Laura. It was smashed, it hadn't been used in years...he must have moved in there sometime after the Air Force abandoned it and he joined up with Apocalypse." he added.

"I want to reassure all of you that the virus Animus was working on will be destroyed. Tests indicated its not as perfect as they thought...there's really no guarantee that it wouldn't have mutated and started infecting normal humans as well." Fury said. "So, thanks for not missing Amara." he added, trying to find some humor in the situation and he even got a few laughs from the group.

"Have you caught all the bad guys yet?" Laurie asked, being serious again. She was still frightened they might comeback to finish what they'd started.

"Don't worry, they won't be back." Fury said, trying to reassure her. "Thanks to the information we recovered, we've managed to round up most of them...of course there a still a few loose ends to tie up, but all their leaders are either dead or in custody."

"So what's gonna happen to 'em?" Rogue asked.

"I can assure you Hodge will never see the light of day again, and neither will Moreau...they're going to pay for what they did." he told her.

"So, is this the end of M.R.D. now that Hodge is gone?" Scott asked.

"No, in fact they've already named War Machine as the new director." Fury answered, bringing grumbles of disgust from everyone; Jason Rhodes had made it clear he didn't trust the X-Men. "But you can rest assured I'll be keeping a closer eye on them from now on." he added.

"Thank you Colonel, your help is always appreciated." Xavier said as he came to the podium again. "Many of you have expressed concern over the fate of the children we rescued from Dr. Animus; you'll be pleased to learn we've identified all of them and contacted their families." "They'll remain here in intensive care for another month or two and then they'll be moved to be closer to their families...the government has agreed to pay for all their expenses."

"What about the two who died?" Danielle asked. The last thing she'd heard was that they didn't have any family.

"We've arranged for them to be buried on the grounds of the institute." Xavier told her. "We also located their older sister, she's the only surviving member of their family and she'll be coming to live with us...at least for the time being."

"Is she a mutant too?" Josh asked.

"Yes, her name is Xian Coy Mahn and she's a telepath." Xavier answered.

"It's important for us to honor the lives that were lost, but we can't allow ourselves to dwell on tragedy." Xavier said after a brief silence. "You are all to be commended for your actions during the attack on the institute and our battle on Paradise Island, but several of you have gone above and beyond what's expected of the X-Men." "Your selfless devotion to your teammates and your unfailing commitment to the values of the institute prove you are ready to join the ranks of the X-Men and its time you were all recognized for your heroism."

"Samuel Guthrie, I think it's safe to say that none of us would be sitting here today if it weren't for you." Xavier said. "I've been told how you defended the Blackbird during our escape, how you saved Josh and Laurie when they became separated form the others, and how you saved the life of your best friend...at great risk to your own I might add."

Sam sat there for a moment looking completely overwhelmed, he didn't consider himself a hero...far from it and he didn't feel right about graduating to the X-Men if Holmes couldn't stand up there with him. _'Recommending you for promotion was the first thing he did when I went to talk to him.' _Xavier said as he entered Sam's mind. _'And recommending Tabitha was the second...you may not feel like a hero Sam, but you are to him; so if you can't come up here for yourself, do it for Holmes.'_ He said as Sam nodded and stood up.

"Tabitha Smith, you willingly faced certain death to protect the children; once again you've distinguished yourself by exceptional heroism and your actions serve as an example to all X-Men." Xavier said as he addressed the group again. "And Tabitha...I hope that you'll forgive us for the shameful way we've treated you...we certainly don't deserve the loyalty you've shown us." Tabitha was shocked to say the least, she'd never expected to hear Xavier say something like that to her.

"Rahne Sinclair, you fearlessly defended the children and Tabitha in the face of impossible odds, and it was only through your strength of will that the Gengineer was defeated and the others were saved." Xavier said. "You have endured more than your share of hardship, but you possess a strength of character unmatched by any here today and it is my great honor to welcome you to the X-Men."

"And finally, Michael Holmes, you endured unspeakable barbarism to protect your teammates and the children and you willingly sacrificed yourself to protect Scott and Rahne while they freed the others." "We all owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid ...you exemplify the ideals of the institute and we are honored you've accepted the offer to become an instructor." Xavier said. _'Horse Shit...I didn't do it fer th' institute, I did it fer Rahne...' _Holmes thought as he limped toward his friends.

* * *

**That Evening**

"Ya know, I'll be a'ight by maself fer awhile." Holmes said as he sat down on the edge of Rahne's bed and put his good arm around her. "If ya wanna stay here with yer mom a little longer…."

"Mike, yui're nae all right, and neither am I." Rahne said as she turned and held him close. "We both need tae be back at th' institute where we can get th' kind of help we need….." She said.

"I'm sorry I can't be more help shuga." He muttered as he thought about what she'd said earlier in the week when he'd asked her why she was deliberately suppressing her powers. _'I'm scared...scared of wha' I might do...I wanted tae kill him...I would ha' if Piotr had nae stopped me...'_ she told him. At the time she'd been out of her mind with pain and rage and she certainly wasn't responsible for her actions, but it had thoroughly shaken Rahne to the point that she wouldn't even allow herself to be alone with the children.

"Yui're fightin this jus' as hard as I am." She whispered.

"But I'm not strong like you…..you were ten years old and ya beat this thing…..I've never been in control, not really." He said.

"Yui're stronger than ye think ye are…..thanks fer reminding me tha' maybe I am tae." She said as leaned forward and kissed him. "Go on and try tae enjoy yuirself wit' th others…..I'm going tae stay here wit' mum tonight."

"I'm glad you're coming back with me Rahne, I just didn't want ya to feel like ya had too." He said as he got up to leave. The X-Men were heading back to New York tomorrow and he knew Rahne wanted more time with her mom; he didn't want her to feel pressured to leave before she was ready; especially after what had happened. Still, he was forced to admit Rahne was right; they both needed help that only the institute could provide. The best thing he could do right now was leave her alone so she could have some quality time with her mother and he headed off to join the others for a trip to the mainland for dinner.

"Rahne's not coming?" Jean asked as Holmes joined the others down at the dock.

"No, she wants some time alone with her mom…..that's more important." He said as Amara zipped up his jacket for him. "Besides, a lot of people here still hate her." He added as he nodded toward the lights from the distant city of Ullapool. He pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt to help hide his scars and limped toward the boat.

"Yeah…." Scott muttered as he looked out across the water. "Everybody keep it on the down low, we don't need any trouble."

"There won't be any unless they start it." Sam said as he helped Holmes into the boat.

* * *

**The Hills Surrounding UllaPool - Scotland**

"Come back inside chere' its cold." Bennett said as he put his arm around Wanda and looked out across the water toward Muir Isle; the lights of Moira's research station shown clearly against the dark, frigid waters of the north Atlantic. They'd hidden their stealth jet far enough away the X-Men wouldn't notice, but they could still keep an eye on them.

"I'm fine, really." She said as the cold January wind whipped across the hilltop, cutting through both of them like a knife.

"Why waste your time with them?" he asked. "they're our enemies."

"They weren't always our enemies, Jean was my best friend when I was a little girl and Pietro and Scott were friends once too." She explained. "I just want them to know they have a choice, they don't have to throw their lives away for Xavier like DireWulf did."

"They're just as blind as Xavier….they're all pathetic." He scoffed. "I'll help them only because I love you." He said as he turned and kissed her.

"Hey Exodus!" Todd yelled, contempt evident in his voice. "they're on the move."

"Where are they going?" Bennet asked as he eyed Todd coldly. Wanda was his woman and that filthy little toad had better get used to it if he didn't want to end up dead; Bennet's patience with him was at an end.

"Looks like most of 'em stayed on the island, but a few are heading into Ullapool." He answered as he looked back at the computer screen. "Summers and Grey are with 'em, lets go." He said as he leaped out of the hatch and landed next to them.

"You're not in command here." Bennet hissed as he unleashed a plasma blast at Todd's feet. "We'll follow them and see where they're going, but we'll confront them here….it'll be a lot safer than going to Muir Isle."

"That's a good plan." Wanda said as Freddy, John, Lance, Pietro and Ray joined them. "But I want you to stay here unless we call you Bennet, they'll be scared of you."

"They should be." He said as he watched her go.

* * *

**Ullapool - Scotland**

**(Two Hours Later)**

"Clearly ma ancestors contribution to th world was not fine dining" Holmes said as he shoved the plate of haggis away in disgust. The waitress had talked him into trying it, but it was even worse than Rahne said it would be. He leaned back at the table and tried to ignore the looks he was getting from the other waitresses and several of the other restaurant patrons. _'Yeah, I know I'm ugly.'_ he thought.

"Ewww, you said it fluffy, no wonder they were such hell raisers back in th' day." Tabitha said as she pushed the plate away. "Try th' haggis lad, it's a local favorite." Tabitha said mocking the waitress. "I can't believe ya ordered that mess, didn't ya know what it was?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to say I'd tried it..." Holmes admitted. "Might have been able t' get it down if we could have gotten a whisky with it." he said giving Jean the eye.

You guys might be "super heroes" but you're still underage." Jean playfully reminded him. They all hated that term and Jean couldn't resist the opportunity to make fun of the annoying media coverage anymore than the rest of them.

"Yeah thanks fer tellin 'em..." Tabitha teased. "We're old enough to go get shot in th ass we outta be able to get a drink..."

"Damn right." Sam added.

"Well was your steak good at least?" Jean asked, changing the subject. That awful bar Logan hung out in might serve them, but she didn't condone it no matter how mature they were or how many times they'd saved the world.

"Yeah, I make a better one, but it was pretty good." he said. "Nice of th waitress to have it cut up fer me." he added, dropping a rather generous tip by the abominable haggis.

"Hey, why don't we grill that deer meat I brought from home when we get back?" Sam asked. He and Tabitha loved Holmes' cooking almost as much as Rahne did and he'd cook for the four of them when they could get a moment free from training and missions, just to be friends.

"You killed Bambi?!" Amara asked, perfectly horrified.

"No babe, it was a big ugly one, with horns and everything." Tabitha said. "Can you make us some of those awesome loaded potatoes again?" she asked Holmes, trying to distract Amara from chastising her boyfriend any further.

"Yeah, but...I think I'm gonna need some help this time." Holmes said, looking down at his paralyzed arm. Tabitha silently cussed herself, the last thing she'd wanted to do was make him self conscious about his injuries again.

"Whatever ya need." she said, reaching over and putting her hand on his injured one.

"You guys are as bad as those hillbillies on TV." Amara said, pouting.

"Which ones?" Jean teased. Seems like every channel you turned to now had some crazy hick with a beard doing something ridiculous. She wondered if people really acted like that or if it was all made for TV.

"I'm a hillbilly, he's a redneck. Get it straight." Sam said with mock indignation.

"What's ze difference?" Kurt asked, sparking an argument between Sam and Holmes about what exactly was meant by the terms redneck and hillbilly. Tabitha jumped in, naturally, and by the time they were finished Kurt was more confused than ever.

"Sorry you asked?" Scott asked as Kurt gave him a look and nodded. There were times when those two seemed like they'd escaped from a Dukes of Hazzard rerun, but Scott wouldn't have traded them for Hulk and Ironman and he was glad they we're both full X-Men now, even if Holmes was injured. He was glad to have Tabitha as well, she might have a wild streak, but he knew he could count on her.

"Well, since we can't get hammered; lets get going." Sam said as helped Holmes to his feet.

"Thanks ya'll...it was fun." Holmes said as he limped toward the door.

"It was the least we could do Holmes." Scott said as he picked up the check.

"Yui're them, aren't ye?" the waitress asked as she swiped Scott's card.

"Who?" he asked, hoping he wasn't about to get cursed at for being a mutant.

"Th X-Men." she whispered. "Ye've been on th' news...I'm glad ye won."

"Yeah, so am I." he answered.

"I'm sorry about wha' happened...we're nae all like tha'." She said meekly.

"We know." he said, relieved. It was obvious she meant what she said; why else would she have helped Holmes? "And thanks for taking care of our friend...I think you'll see how grateful he was when you clear the table."

"I think we made a friend." he said as he joined the others as they headed back to the boat; it was pretty cold out and there weren't many people on the streets, which suited him fine…..he still had a bad feeling despite the kindhearted waitress.

* * *

"Hang on!" Jean said as the neared the dock. "Amara, take Holmes and get out of here….just go!"

"Jean, what th hells goin on?!" Holmes asked as Scott replaced his shades with the spare visor he always carried with him.

"It's the Brotherhood." Jean said as she looked around….they were surrounded.

'_Damn!'_ Holmes thought as he finally caught their scent _'this is bad...I let 'em sneak up on us...'_

"I can fight Jean, I'm not running away!" Amara said emphatically.

"I know, but somebody's got to protect Holmes." Jean said.

"I'm sorry, but…..you're a liability, it'd be too easy for one of them to grab you and force us to surrender." She said. She knew she sounded heartless after everything he'd done to protect them, and she could see she'd made him angry, but it was true and there was no easy way to say it.

"She's right princess, let's go while we still can." Holmes said bitterly. It was bad enough he'd let the Brotherhood creep up on them, but now he couldn't even help fight if it came to that.

"Too late…." Amara said as Blob walked out of the shadows behind them.

"What do you want Wanda?" Jean demanded as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver began walking up the street toward them.

"We just came to talk Jean." She replied as Toad leaped from a nearby rooftop onto the street beside Sam and Tabitha. He was joined by Pyro who stepped out of an alley and Avalanche and Berzerker appeared from across the street next to Kurt, Amara and Holmes.

"Really? Because you look like you came to fight." Amara said sarcastically.

"Believe me, I'd love to." Avalanche sneered.

"Lance, back off." Berzerker said.

"Everybody just calm down!" Scott interrupted. "Ok witch, you wanna talk, lets talk….what do you guys want?"

"We just came to offer you the opportunity to join us Cyclops." Scarlet Witch said. "You must have realized by now that Xavier's wrong….I don't want to see you or Jean end up like him." She added, motioning toward DireWulf.

"Wanda, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but the only thing I've realized is that you and Pietro are completely lost….we'll never join Magneto!" he said defiantly. "Come on X-Men, we're leaving."

"Why don't you let 'em speak for themselves Cyclops, or are you afraid of the answer?" Berzerker asked.

"Piss on you! That's our answer." Sam shot back.

"Go back to Genosha Ray, there's nothing left for you here." Amara said.

"DireWulf, you don't have to waste your life serving Xavier." Wanda said. "There's a place for you on Genosha…..we'll treat you with the respect you deserve."

"I don't want yer pity, or anything else." he said. "I appreciate yer help on th island...but I don't owe ya'll shit."

"C'mon Tabby….I never would have run off and left ya like this coward." Blob sneered, pointing at Sam.

"You are so full of shit!" Tabitha snapped. "Ya didn't do a damn thing to help me when Mystique beat me up! Ya just stood there, you fucking coward!"

"Ok that's enough!" Scott yelled. "You've got your answer Wanda, now leave us alone." He said as he and the other X-Men started to leave.

"Awww, too bad fat-ass. Looks like th little tart has some standards after all." Pyro taunted. "Guess you're gonna die a virgin."

"Shut yer mouth ya punk-ass bitch!" Sam snapped as he came at Pyro.

"NO Sam…not here, not now...he's not worth it." Tabitha said as she grabbed him. She was sure he could take Pyro, but not with is arm in a cast and Holmes unable to defend himself or get away.

"He's not, but you are….next time I see ya, I'm gonna break yer damn jaw!" he yelled as Pyro stood there mocking him. Hard as it was to turn and walk away, he knew it was the right thing to do, he'd never forgive himself if Holmes got hurt and Tabitha had been through enough trauma without him starting a street fight with the Brotherhood.

"Shut up Pyro! We didn't come to fight!" Quicksilver ordered. "What the hell Scott?! Can't you think for yourself anymore?! We don't have to be enemies!"

"This is fucking pathetic!" Berzerker scoffed as Scott and Pietro began to argue. "I thought you had some brains Holmes, but you're just a fucking puppet like Scott! Look at yourself, you're worthless now! And for what, what have you accomplished?! What good did you do?! You couldn't do a damn thing for those kids you found and you haven't changed a thing between us and the flat-scans. Those bastards aren't worth it, they hate you! How the hell can you defend them after what they did to Rahne?!"

"Go to hell." Holmes said coldly as he turned to leave. "I don't have to justify maself to you..."

"Don't you walk away from me you arrogant son of a bitch!" Berzerker yelled as he came after Holmes.

"Back off Ray!" Amara yelled as she took aim with a fireball. "You touch him and I'll blast you straight to hell!"

"Amara! NO!" Holmes yelled as he turned to see Pyro seize control of her and hurl her into the brick wall next to him. Cannonball instantly blasted him with his good arm, Toad spit all over Meltdown, sticking her to the pavement and all hell broke loose as DireWulf whirled on his good leg and slammed his crutch into Avalanche's face. He could see Magma was out cold, but he'd done the same to Avalanche; he knew he'd have to keep Pyro busy till Meltdown got free since Cannonball was battling Toad, but they'd need help with Blob since Jean and Cyclops were tied up with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

* * *

'_X-Men! Get down to the docks! We're getting killed out here!' _Jean yelled telepathically.

* * *

"Ya nasty freak!" Meltdown yelled as she tried to free herself. She never imagined it would be this sticky and it was already beginning to harden. She couldn't believe she'd let herself get trapped this easily...if anything happed to her friends she'd never forgive herself.

* * *

"Take care of this clown!" DireWulf yelled as NightCrawler kicked Berzerker away from him. He tripped Blob as he rushed in to help Toad fight Cannonball and vaulted across the street on his crutch toward a dazed Pyro as they squared off behind him.

"Don't do zis Ray!" NightCrawler yelled, still trying to get through to him.

"I should have done this a long time ago!" Berzerker yelled as he came at him.

"Crickey..." Pyro moaned as he tried to clear his head and focus. Cannonball had blasted him into the side of a parked truck and he was hurting pretty bad now.

"Nobody talks to Tabitha that way!" DireWulf growled as he limped toward him, determined to finish what Cannonball had started and knock this maniac out of the battle. But as he raised his crutch to strike he was hit in the back by Berzerker's electrical blast. Pyro laughed maniacally as DireWulf screamed in agony and collapsed in front of him.

"Who are you mate...her brother?!" He sneered as he stood up and kicked him.

"I am today!" DireWulf gasped as he lunged for him.

"You stupid asshole! I'll fuck you up for good this time!" He yelled as he surrounded him in a searing ring of fire. DireWulf was suddenly so terrified he could hardly breath; the fire had triggered a flashback and he was back in his cell on Paradise Island and Gyric was coming at him with a blowtorch.

* * *

"Get off him!" Blob yelled as he grabbed Cannonball by his injured arm and yanked him off Toad. Cannonball cried out in pain as he began to squeeze, crushing the cast and his arm at the same time. He blasted Blob with his other hand, but his powers weren't having any effect on him.

"Leave him alone Freddy!" Meltdown yelled as she blasted him with a searing hot energy blast.

"Damn it Tabitha! I don't wanna fight you!" he yelled he dropped Cannonball and backed away in pain.

"Then ya shoulda' kept yer damn hands off him!" she yelled as she hit him with another blast. "You touch him again and I'll kill you!"

* * *

"Pyro! What the Fuck!? You'll kill him..." Berzerker said, suddenly unsure of the choice he'd made. He hated Holmes, but the sight of him cowering in fear, having a flashback...he didn't deserve to die like this.

"You better grow a pair mate! If you're gonna be one of us, ya got be willing to do whatever it takes!" Pyro scoffed as he turned up the heat on DireWulf again.

"That's bullshit man! He's beat! Look at him, he's freakin out and...what the hell?!" Berzerker said as DireWulf howled in rage and transformed, shattering his leg and arm braces into a thousand pieces. As he ripped off his eyepatch, the cloudy gray color of the pupil and iris was replaced by an unnatural red glow and the jagged red scars covering the side of his face faded away.

"Bloody Hell!" Pyro exclaimed as he tried to collapse the ring of fire on DireWulf, only to have him leap up onto the wall of the building and hang there upside down, like Spiderman. "You never said he could do that!" Pyro shouted. Berzerker never had a chance to answer as DireWulf snarled and leaped off the wall, avoiding his electrical blast and slamming his fist into him, knocking him across the street. He whirled around, catching Pyro before he could burn him and buried his fist into his gut, sending him flying into the wall. _'I don't know how, but I'm stronger...way stronger...'_ he thought as he set his sights on Blob.

"Pick on somebody yer own size!" he snarled as he rushed forward and slammed his fist into Blob as hard as he could. Blob had been so preoccupied fighting Meltdown that he hadn't even seen him coming and he'd been completely unprepared for the blow, which sent him crashing to the ground.

"Mike?!" Meltdown exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Good to have ya back bubba, ya can explain later..." Cannonball said as Blob got to his feet and gave him a look that could have fried steel.

"Let us handle this Sam" Meltdown pleaded; Blob had seriously injured his arm again and she could see he was in terrible pain.

"I'll handle this, ya'll back off!" DireWulf growled.

"You're dead! You ugly freak!" Blob roared.

"Come get some, fat-ass!" DireWulf shot back.

"Are ya outta yer mind?!" Meltdown yelled as Blob charged and she grabbed Cannonball and ran out of the way. DireWulf stood his ground till the last possible second when he lunged forward, caught Blob in a fireman's carry, heaved him into the air and rammed him head first into the pavement, splitting the asphalt. 'Right...he's not immovable when he's running...' Meltdown thought as she and Cannonball marveled at DireWulf's new power.

"Ya ain't such a badass now are ya!?" DireWulf yelled.

"You bastard..." Blob groaned, as he struggled to get up.

"Get up ya fat pile of shit!" he taunted, spitting in his face. "I ain't done with ya yet!"

"Don't get cocky Wulf..." Cannonball warned. He'd never seen him act like this before, DireWulf wasn't one to flaunt his power, but it had clearly gone to his head and it looked like he was about to loose control of the wolf at any moment.

"Shit!" Meltdown gasped as Exodus teleported in front of DireWulf and punched him through the brick wall behind him. He knocked Jean down with a Psi-blast, and blocked Cyclops optic blast with his force field as Scarlet Witch hexed both he and Jean's powers. "Don't even think about it, you're not fast enough." he warned Cannonball and Meltdown as he trapped them in a force field.

"Is that all ya got?!" DireWulf growled as he sprang to his feet.

"Clearly you don't know who you're dealing with." he said as DireWulf leaped through the hole in wall and landed in the street facing him; he was still ready to fight and Exodus was more than happy to oblige. He unleashed a massive plasma blast as DireWulf charged him, sending him skidding across the wet pavement.

"Thats enough!" Scarlet Witch ordered. "We're leaving!"

"You're not worth the effort." Exodus scoffed as he released Tabitha and Sam.

"Mike, remember what ya promised me." Tabitha said as she and Sam came to his side "this things not the real you...don't let it control ya." she pleaded. It was obvious he didn't want to back down, but Exodus was completely out of his league, even with his new powers.

"Thanks Tabby..." he said as he returned to human form and lay there shivering at her feet. This new power was exhilarating, but is was also frightening...he'd really let it go to his head there for a minute and his hold on the wolf had never been so tenuous as it was now.

"I'll see you again." Bennet threatened as he teleported away with Wanda. Pietro disappeared in a silver streak as Freddy picked up John and Ray and ran off after him, followed by Todd, who was carrying Lance.

"Can you walk?" Scott asked as he joined them, "we need to get outta here."

"Yeah...I'm good..." Holmes muttered as he slowly got to his feet. His healing factor had already repaired the horrible burns caused by Exodus' plasma blast, but it had taken a lot out of him...his body still hadn't recovered from the stress of the torture he'd endured and he wondered how he was even alive, much less able to heal his injuries. That question would have to wait, right now the others needed his help, Kurt and Amara were both out cold and Sam looked like he was about to throw up as he knelt there next to him, holding his injured arm.

"Here, put this on and head for the docks." Scott said as he handed him his coat. Holmes clothes and shoes had been ripped to shreds by his transformation and it was below freezing. Holmes and Tabitha grabbed Sam and helped him to the boat as Jean and Scott carried Kurt and Amara.

"What happened?!" Rogue yelled as she and Remy jumped out of the boat they'd just arrived in with Sean and Piotr and ran to meet them.

"Th Brotherhood jumped us..." Holmes said as Remy took charge of Sam and helped him into the boat. He felt completely drained after carrying Sam and it took both Rogue and Tabitha to help him into the boat.

"I'll explain later, we need to get them back to the island." Jean said as Scott jumped into the boat and started the engine.

"Can ya see out of that eye now?!" Tabitha yelled over the roar of the engine as they sped back to Muir Isle. Holmes nodded and smiled weakly as he slumped into the seat, he was starting to feel a little better now and it had finally hit him that he could walk and his arm wasn't paralyzed anymore. There weren't words to describe what he was feeling now as he held up his left hand and clenched his fist. 'God...thank you...'

"Ya don't have a mark on ya! It's a miracle!" Tabitha exclaimed as she pulled open his coat to check for injuries. The awful scars from Alex's force beams had disappeared from his chest and abs and the jagged red scars on his face and arm had been erased as well. His eye had returned to its normal color and both his arm and his leg were as strong as ever.

"It must be a secondary mutation, like my telepathy." Jean explained. "Beast will need to check you out when we get back...you may have developed a new power, not just a more powerful healing factor." she added.

"Hey blue, ya ok?" Tabitha asked as she continued to care for Sam and Amara.

"Ja..." he muttered as he sat up, still dazed from the shock Ray had given him. He felt like a fool, he'd tried to give him another chance but all he'd gotten for his efforts was a nasty shock. "I can't believe he'd just turn on us like zat..."

Well, ya better get it through yer thick head that he ain't one of us anymore!" Holmes yelled. "What th hell Kurt?! I told ya to handle him! Ya damn near got me killed!"

"Shut up Holmes! He was our friend! Doesn't that mean anything to you!?" Kurt yelled. Holmes snorted in disgust and they all rode the rest of the way in silence. Ray's betrayal had finally hit home for all of them and it was difficult to accept that someone they'd trusted with their lives could turn on them they way he had. Besides, Holmes was still really riled up and ready to fight, no one wanted to deal with that side of his personality right now.

* * *

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

"Thank God, I thought ye'd been hurt..." Rahne whispered as Holmes grabbed her and held her close. Jean smiled as she watched the pair embrace, tears of joy streaming down Rahne's cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder and he hugged her like he might never get the chance again. She could feel Rahne's relief and happiness wash over her like a warm breeze in spring, but she was stunned that she couldn't sense anything from Holmes. Worried, she opened her mind and tried to join with his, but there was nothing, its like he wasn't even in the room.

"Scott, what happened out there?" Xavier asked.

"Wanda came to ask us to join her...she said she didn't want to see Jean and I end up like Holmes...I guess she thought she was being kind...I don't know." he told him. "Of course we told her no, but then she started trying to work on Holmes and Ray started trying to talk the others into joining him...when that didn't work either he started talking trash to Holmes...he's always hated him and I guess since he was hurt he thought he could get away with talking to him like that."

"You mean Holmes started the fight?" Ororo interrupted.

"No...I couldn't believe it, but he just turned around and tried to leave with the rest of us, but Ray...I guess he came after Holmes and Amara must have stood up to him, because the next thing I knew, Pyro had slammed her against the wall, Sam blasted him and Holmes had knocked out Avalanche with his crutch...after that I don't know, I had my hands full with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch...then Exodus showed up."

"Thats what happened." Amara said as she collapsed into a chair next to the professor, holding an ice pack to the side of her head. "I'm sorry professor, I didn't want to start a fight, but I couldn't let him hurt Holmes." she explained.

"It seems you didn't have much choice." he reassured her.

* * *

"Hang on Dr. Reyes, I think I can heal him." Josh said as she and Hank prepared to take Sam down to the medical bay.

"No Josh!" Laurie pleaded. "You need more time to recover."

"Its ok! I'm a lot stronger now." he assured her.

"Ok Josh, you can try, but I'm stopping you at the first sign of trouble." Hank said sternly.

"I got this doc." he said as he began to heal Sam's injuries.

"Thanks Josh, I was gonna go crazy if had to spend anymore time in that cast." Sam said. It had taken several minutes, but Josh had completely healed him and he didn't seem any worse for wear.

"I think I've got enough left for Amara and Danielle!" Josh said as Hank and Laurie exchanged worried looks and quickly followed him.

* * *

"Professor, there's something about Holmes..." Jean said as she came to his side. "I can't sense anything from him, can you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down. The last thing she wanted to do was to make Rahne worry again.

"I don't think we have anything to be concerned about Jean." Xavier said, trying to calm her. "Holmes has always had a mild resistance to psychic mind probes; its what allowed him to hold out so long against Mentalo...this secondary mutation seems have awakened his full potential." he explained as he stared at Holmes intently; he couldn't sense anything from him either.

"We'll give him a thorough examination just to be sure." Hank said as he approached Holmes and Rahne.

* * *

"Ugh! This is so disgusting!" Tabitha muttered as she peeled off her jacket and dropped it in the hamper; it was covered with sticky Toad spit. "I can't believe I let that asshole spit on me!"

"Hey, ya did great out there." Sam said as she got up off her bed and put his arms around her waist. "Ya saved ma life; that was incredible th way ya handled Blob." he added.

"Ya never would have gotten hurt again if I hadn't got trapped like that..." she sighed.

"Ya don't know that...now quit beatin yerself up." he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"I just can't stand th thought of somethin happenin to ya.." she said quietly.

"I know...I feel th same way...that week ya were gone...that was hell." he said as he continued to hold her close. "It was like losing dad again...that same God awful feeling." he added. "I couldn't keep doin this without ya...ya mean everything to me."

"I love ya too, and you're th only reason I'm still fightin" she said. "I was scared to death...I really thought me and Rahne were gonna die...but there at th end, right before they turned me, all I could think of was you...and about all th things I wished we'd done..." she said as she reached down, took his hand and placed it on her breast.

"Tabby...ya sure about this?" he stammered.

"You're th only thing I've ever been sure about in ma whole messed up life." she said as she walked over and locked the door; she didn't want anyone walking in on them. "I never thought I'd ever feel this way about anyone until I met you...I wanna share this with you...and only you."

"Ya know I'm still a virgin..." he said quietly; blushing a deep red.

"So am I, is that a problem?" she asked.

"No...I just don't want to disappoint ya..." He muttered, feeling like a complete fool. Tabitha had always been pretty open about her sexuality and he'd just assumed she'd had some prior experience. It hadn't really mattered to him what she'd done before she'd come to the institute...he knew she'd done a lot of things she wasn't proud of, but all that mattered to him was the person she'd become. He realized now it was just a survival mechanism for her, just a bit of power to hold over someone.

"We're together, that's all that matters to me..." she purred as she kissed him and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Wow…" She said quietly as they looked each other over. Sam was flattered, but he couldn't even manage a response for a moment; he was so taken with Tabitha. She was so strong, yet still so elegant and feminine and he'd never forget the way he felt now, seeing her for the first time.

"I love you." He said as he took her in his arms and carried her to the bed.

* * *

**One Hour Later**

Tabitha sighed with contentment as she felt Sam's strong arms around her and she knew how much she was loved. She rolled over and looked up into his eyes as he tenderly stroked her cheek and kissed her. He was always tender and loving with her, but he'd been so gentle and sensitive to her needs that she knew they'd never be anyone else in her life, or his. "I love ya Tabby, I always will." he said as she kissed him again. He didn't know what the future had in store for them, but he was never going to abandon her like her parents had, as long as he lived, she'd never know that kind of pain again.

"I love you too." she whispered as she lay there and thought about how much they loved each other and how lucky she was to have him in her life. She finally felt fulfilled, that was the most wonderful experience of her life and she was glad she'd shared it with Sam. She never thought she'd feel this way about anyone...she'd never been one to let herself get too close to any guy...not after the terrible way her father had treated her. All that had changed when she'd met Sam, he made her feel safe and she trusted him completely...now she couldn't imagine not having him in her life.

* * *

'_She has got to be kidding...'_ Holmes thought as he stepped out of the shower and looked at the pajamas Moira had left for him. Institute jackets and shirts he could understand, but institute pajamas...hell no. He pulled on the pants, but left the shirt in the package; he never slept in one anyway and he really hated the whole blue and gold color scheme, he didn't even want to wear it to bed.

It looked as though everyone else had turned in for the night as he left the medical wing and entered the main living quarters. The research station was a lot bigger than he'd thought and he could only imagine how lonely it must have been for Rahne after Reverend Craig had turned everyone in Ullapool and Kinross against her. He still thought Xavier's vision was total bullshit, but he was even more determined than ever to fight for his friends and ensure that no harm came to them or the institute; no one else should have to grow up the way Rahne and Tabitha had.

Even though the place was built like a fortress, with the latest in Stark Industries security and weapons systems, he knew he'd never get to sleep if he didn't check on Rahne and he wondered if he'd ever be free of this uneasy feeling. He was surprised to see the light still shining under her door as he reached the top of the stairs "Rahne?" he whispered as he tapped lightly at her door. Rahne opened her door and stood there, taking him in for a moment before she hugged him, sighing with contentment as she rested her head on his shoulder and gently rubbed her hands across his back.

"I love ya Rahne." he said quietly as he returned her embrace.

"I love ye tae." she said as she closed the door behind him. "I told mum ye'd hate those pajamas." she said as she looked him over again.

"Yeah, and I think she mixed up me and Scott's sizes..." he said.

"Aye, they are a bit long fer ye..." she said as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm so glad ye got yui're powers back...I know how powerless ye felt..." she said.

"I never would have got through it without ya..." he told her.

"What did Dr. McCoy tell ye?" she asked as they both sat down on the edge of her bed.

"He said it was a secondary mutation" Holmes told her. "I got three new powers and it looks like it pushed ma other powers to the max."

"Tha's wonderful!" Rahne exclaimed.

"I don't know..." Holmes sighed, "I nearly lost it out there...this damn thing...I don't think I can control it anymore...its too powerful." he admitted.

"Of course ye can!" she said vehemently. "Wha' kind of talk is tha'?"

"I hope yui're right..."

"Tell me wha' ye've learned so far." Rahne said, trying to lighten the mood. She knew he was going to have a difficult time adjusting to these changes, but worrying about it wasn't healthy.

"Well, ma healing factor is at least as powerful as Wolverine's...which is how I got ma eye and arm back." he said. "And I've gotten a lot stronger...Doc's not sure what ma limit is now, since I'm too weak to transform again, but I can tell ya it's gotta be close to ten tons."

"Yea, I heard what ye did tae Blob." she said, giving him a look.

"He had it coming." Holmes said bluntly.

"Ye jus' be careful, even if ye can lift fifty tons, there's a lot more powerful mutants out there and most of 'em are evil."

"I know..." he admitted.

"Well, wha' about yui're new powers?" Rahne asked.

"I'm resistant to physical damage, I can take a hell of hit now and still get back up" he said. "Exodus hit me with his best shot, but I still shook it off...energy based attacks are another story though..."

"I heard about tha' too." she said. "Wha' else?"

"This ones kinda weird, its even got Doc scratchin his head." Holmes said. "I've developed some kind of molecular adhesion power in ma paws when I transform...I was hanging on the wall like Spiderman."

"Ye can climb like him?!" Rahne asked.

"No, nothing like him...its got t' be a rough surface and I still have to grip pretty hard...I couldn't climb glass and I'd really have to use ma claws on marble, but it still kicks ass." he said.

"Tha' is cool." Rahne said as she rubbed her and across his shoulders. She was very proud of him, not just for realizing his full potential, but also for controlling it as well as he had. He'd let it go to his head, but he'd also had sense enough to listen to reason, and the strength of will not to let his animal fury consume him.

"I saved th best fer last." he said as he put his arm around her. "Ya know that psychic resistance we both have?"

"Yea..."

"Well mines gotten so strong even Professor Xavier can't read ma mind...he can't even detect me." He told her. "He thinks that this secondary mutation was a direct result of th torture and that ma powers adapted because of it."

"Luv...I dinnae want ye tae ever sacrifice yuirself fer me again..." she said.

"Rahne you're th most important thing in th world t' me...

"I dinnae ever want tae ha' tae go through tha' again! ...I cannae bear th thought of losing ye..." she interrupted.

"Well I can't stand th thought of anything happenin t' you either, and I'll never let anybody hurt ya again." He said emphatically. "I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow shuga, but I know I'm gonna make th most of everyday I've got with ya, thats all I can promise."

"I guess tha's enough then." she sighed as she leaned over and kissed him.

"I'll let ya get t' bed now." he said as he kissed her goodnight and started to get up.

"Wait..." Rahne said as she reached out and held his hand. "I'd sleep better if ye were wit' me..."

"So would I." he said as he flipped the light switch and got into bed with her. He picked up Rahne's bible, which was lying on the bed, and put it on the night stand. As he reached over to turn off the lamp, one particular verse caught his eye. _'God, give me th strength and th courage to protect her, and ma friends.'_ he prayed as he rolled over and put his arm around Rahne as she snuggled next to him.

**From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.**

**Luke 12:48**


	21. Chapter 21: Ghosts and Demons

**Chapter 21: Ghosts and Demons**

**Muir Isle - Scotland**

"You're not worried about meetin ma folks are ya?" Holmes asked as he and Rahne lay there together in her bed. They'd both finally slept through the night without waking up screaming or crying or both. Moira had looked in on them in the early hours of the morning, but she knew Rahne was sleeping with him because he made her feel safe. The fact that neither of them had waked when she opened the door was proof enough that they needed each other and she'd asked Xavier to look the other way if it happened again at the institute.

"A little..." she admitted as he kissed her and they continued to cuddle.

"Shuga, how could they not love you?" he asked.

"Ye nearly got killed trying to protect me..."

"Which must mean you're pretty damn special." he interrupted. "Don't worry, they're gonna love you, they already do...its not like you haven't talked to 'em before."

"Aye, but tha was before..."

"Stop worryin, everything's gonna be fine." He said, trying to reassure her. She smiled and kissed him, but she knew that while his body might be stronger, he couldn't bounce back from the psychological effects of what he'd endured so easily. They'd already had several heart to heart talks about what had happened and while they were both starting to feel a little better...she'd had to fight this battle once before and she knew that some wounds never completely heal. She still carried emotional scars from her past life and she knew she always would, but with the love and support of her family and friends, the old wounds didn't hurt so much anymore.

Logan had taken time to talk to Holmes about his similar experience with the Weapon X program and he had really helped him, especially when he'd told him that he couldn't do it alone either. Dr. Sampson had arrived to help too, but Holmes didn't show much interest in talking with him even though he had done so much to help Rahne after Moira saved her from Reverend Craig.

* * *

**Yoshida Clan Dojo - Japan**

"Raven Darkholme, to what do I owe this honor?" Kenuichio Harada asked as she entered his chambers.

"I've come for the girl, Harada." Raven answered tersely. "She is ready isn't she?"

"Why don't you judge for yourself?" he asked as a tall blonde girl suddenly appeared beside her; sword raised, ready to strike.

"Shit!" Mystique yelled as she narrowly avoided the blow and drew her pistols. _'So this is the infamous Ghost...'_ Mystique thought as she stared her down. _'Hard to believe this is the same little cry-baby Sabertooth and Frenzy pulled out of that mutant testing facility four years ago.'_

"You can't shoot what you can't see Mystique..." Ghost said coldly as she disappeared again.

"Ever heard the phrase 'spray and pray' bitch?!" Mystique snapped as she switched to full-auto.

"Enough!" yelled Silver Samurai. Mystique holstered her pistols and Ghost reappeared in front of her master. "Your service to me ends now Ghost." Harada said as she dropped to one knee in front of him. "Magneto is your master now, serve him well..."

"I will master." she answered as she bowed.

* * *

**Nagano - Japan**

"Why are we here?" Ghost demanded as Mystique settled into the hot spring at the mountain resort where she'd rented their rooms for the night.

"What's the matter Natalie? Shy?" Mystique teased. Ghost had an incredible body, six feet tall with long blonde hair and a figure like a fitness model, except she wasn't well endowed at all and it was obvious from the way she was clutching her towel against her body that she was very self-conscious, especially around someone as well endowed as Mystique.

"Fuck you." She hissed as she dropped her towel and stepped into the spring. "And don't call me that, Natalie Watson died a long time ago...I'm Ghost now...I'd have thought you could understand that." Why had Magneto sent her Ghost wondered; they'd never liked each other, Mystique had been mean to her when she'd first been rescued by Sabertooth and it didn't look like her feelings had changed.

"I do understand." Mystique said darkly. "You weren't the only one who was treated like garbage."

"Well then get off my ass!" Ghost exploded. "I'm not that scared little kid you remember! and I'll be damned if I'm gonna be treated like shit by you or anyone else again!"

"You've really got to lighten up Ghost, you're no fun at all..." Mystique said calmly.

"I'm an assassin, this is as fun as it gets."

"Then have some sake, that ought to loosen you up." Mystique said with an evil smile as she handed her the bottle.

"This is pointless." Ghost grumbled as she tossed one back and poured herself another shot. "We should be focused on the mission."

"The mission can wait." Mystique answered. "I'm not coming all the way to Japan without sampling the best it has to offer." she added as she admired Ghost's physique. Ghost had to admit this was good sake and the hotel was first class as well; apparently working for Magneto wasn't all blood sweat and tears. After all the pain she'd endured through her brutal training, it was nice to relax for once, even if she did have to put up with Mystique.

"Maybe you're right..." Ghost admitted as she took another shot.

* * *

"Hey...Ghost..." Mystique purred as they both stumbled back to their room. "You wanna fool around a little before we turn in?"

"Hell no" Ghost said emphatically as she slumped against the door and fumbled for the key.

"Why not?" Mystique asked, obviously disappointed and provoked by her rebuff.

"Three reasons..." Ghost mumbled as she held up four fingers. "One, I'm straight...two, I'm not _**that**_ drunk...and three, you're old enough to be my mom..."

"Bitch...you wouldn't be any good anyway..." Mystique grumbled as she sat down on her bed. While there had certainly been a lot of men in her life, she actually preferred women and the sight of Ghost naked had really put her in the mood to indulge the more deviant aspects of her personality. Her breasts might not be very big, but her pierced nipples were pretty hot and the rest of her was just incredible.

"Has this got the latest intel on the X-Men?" Ghost asked as she sat down in front of the laptop Mystique had brought with her.

"Knock yourself out..." Mystique muttered.

"They've got another Omega level mutant?!" Ghost asked as she clicked on the latest entry.

"Relax...Elixir is only a healer...he's not even a level one when it comes to fighting power." Mystique said as she yawned and lay back on the bed. _'I've got to remember this place...'_ she thought.

'_Good...'_ Ghost thought as she continued to read through Josh's files. Storm, Jean and Xavier were all Omega level and Storm and Jean rated pretty high when it came to fighting power as well. In spite of her ability to bend light and her training as a ninja, Ghost knew it would be incredibly difficult to take them out if she was called upon to do so. The others would be easier to deal with, even the Alpha level mutants like this girl called Meltdown she was reading about...her powers might be powerful and flawless, but they had their limit and she shouldn't be too much trouble to take out.

* * *

Meltdown

* * *

Name: Tabitha Victoria Smith

Codename: Meltdown

Group Affiliation: X-Men

Mutant Power: Plasma energy projection- Alpha level mutant

Race: White

Blood Type: A

Age: 17

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 120 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Meltdown is an alpha level mutant whose powers give her the ability to create explosive charges of contained concussive power that she can psionically levitate, defuse and detonate on a delayed time cycle. She has also gained the ability to generate devastating streams of raw energy since she betrayed the Brotherhood and rejoined the X-Men. Although Meltdown is powerful, she lacks the courage to kill her opponents and should not be regarded as a significant threat.

* * *

"You shouldn't be concerned about the genetic potential of their powers, you should be worried about the powers themselves." Mystique told her as she sat up. "What good are Storm's powers if she never sees you coming? That Omega level of her's doesn't mean anything...you're only a Beta level, but you could take out any of their Omega's under the right conditions." She added. "But you'll be in real trouble if you run up against Wolverine or that new werewolf thats taken up with them."

"I know about Wolverine, but who's this new werewolf...I'd only heard of Wolfsbane." Ghost asked.

"He's called DireWulf...I've never seen him, but there should be something in here on him." she said as she leaned over Ghost's shoulder and began scrolling through the information. "There..." she said as she found his file and opened it.

* * *

DireWulf

* * *

Name: Matthew Michael Holmes IV

Codename: DireWulf

Group Affiliation: X-Men

Mutant Power: Lycanthrope - Beta level mutant

Race: White

Blood Type: O

Age: 18

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 185 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

DireWulf is a beta level lycanthrope whose powers include superhuman strength, the upper limit of which has yet to be determined, resistance to physical damage and greatly accelerated healing, heightened senses and reflexes, razor edged canines and claws, total psychic immunity and molecular adhesion in his paws. Despite his youth and inexperience, DireWulf is extremely dangerous and prone to bestial fits of rage, he should be engaged with the utmost caution. Energy based, ranged attacks or telekinesis seem to be the most effective methods of defeating him.

* * *

"Too bad he's not on our side...with that psychic immunity..." Ghost muttered, trying to hide her shock at seeing Holmes again; fortunately, Mystique was too drunk to notice.

"He had his chance...idiot." Mystique said coldly as she crawled back into bed.

"What happened?" Ghost asked.

"What the hell does it matter?!" Mystique asked angrily, she was tired of all these questions and since Ghost didn't want to have sex with her, she was done trying to be nice to her.

"Damn it bitch! Just answer the question!" Ghost snapped, drunkenly grabbing for her sword.

"He got tortured by the RIGHT trying to protect Wolfsbane...they nearly killed him and Wanda took pity on him, so she offered him a home on Genosha when she tried to recruit Phoenix and Cyclops...I think, deep down, he knows Xavier's wrong, but he's so in love with that mangy little hairball that he's willing to stay in spite of it."

"Thanks." Ghost muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome, now calm down and go to sleep you crazy bitch." Mystique hissed.

'_Matt, how did you get involved in all this?'_ Ghost asked herself as she turned off the computer and crawled into bed. _'And how can you be on Xavier's side, don't you understand how serious this is?' _she wondered as she rolled over and stared at the painting on the wall of two samurai fighting. _'I don't want to fight you...'_ she thought as her mind wandered back to the days when she'd had a normal life with Holmes, before she was a mutant, before Magneto and the Brotherhood. Their fathers had been in the same unit and they'd grown up together, gone to school together and been friends throughout childhood. Later, they'd become more than friends, he was the first boy she'd ever kissed and he made her feel beautiful even though the other kids picked on her because she was taller than almost all the boys in their class and all the girls were more developed than she was. Even though they were only fourteen, she knew she loved him and they'd been happy together; then his father had been hit by and RPG while saving her's and Holmes had moved away when his father was discharged. He'd tried to stay in contact with her, but she'd broken up with him when she manifested. Her father had rejected her and sent her away for "treatment" and thats when her life completely fell apart. Now there was nothing left for her but Magneto's cause; it was clear Holmes had moved on with his life and whatever his reasons, he was committed to the X-Men_. 'But I'll do what I have to...this is war and you're my enemy now.'_ she told herself as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. The sweet, innocent girl Holmes knew had been replaced by a stone cold killer with no remorse and no mercy; she was consumed by anger and totally devoted to Magneto.

* * *

**Westchester - New York**

"It stinks in here..." Holmes muttered as he and the others walked through the front door of the institute. They'd had to walk back from hanger since the underground transport system was still damaged. Someone had made a lot of repairs since they'd been away and the smell of paint and cleaning solvents still hung in the air.

"I'm jus' glad its still standing." Rahne said, covering her nose.

"Heads up people, we got some company." Logan said as he and Holmes turned and looked up to see War Machine and several members of the M.R.D. Sentinel Force landing nearby.

"You got a lot of nerve showin yer face around here, bub." Logan said coldly as he walked up to War Machine.

"I didn't come here to fight Wolverine, I came to apologize for what happened. That's not what M.R.D. stands for."

"I ain't interested in yer apologies." Holmes growled as he and the others joined Logan. "Get out of here and take these things with ya...you're not welcome."

"Michael." Xavier said calmly, trying to defuse the situation. "Let me handle this."

* * *

"What's there to talk about?!" Danielle said angrily, "we're not here two minutes before a bunch of damn sentinels show up...could this get any worse?"

"I think it jus' did" Rahne answered as the long absent members of Xavier's original team stepped out to face the sentinels...Emma Frost was with them.

"Fuck this." Roberto grumbled.

* * *

"Hear him out X-Men." Bishop said as he came to Xavier's side.

"Thanks." War Machine said as he eyed Holmes and Logan coldly. "M.R.D. was formed to help combat mutant threats and prevent mutant hate crimes, not to hunt down innocent mutants...we're on the same side X-Men, all I'm asking for is a little cooperation."

"Go on." Xavier said.

"We want you to keep us apprised of your missions professor, we need to know what's going on and we're willing to help you on your missions so you don't have to put children in harms way." War Machine said.

"I have never put children in harms way!" Xavier said angrily. "The X-Men are all volunteers, I never asked any of them to fight!"

"You wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for us!" Scott yelled

"Wolfsbane and Shadow Cat are only sixteen!" How do you justify that?!" War Machine asked angrily

"Well I sure don't remember seeing you on Asteroid M; and where were you when Apocalypse nearly took over the world?" Scott asked. "Oh, thats right...you were running around helpless without your armor before Rahne, Sean and Kitty saved you from an extermination squad!"

"We had tae fight because there was no one else." Rahne reminded him.

"I don't seem to be able to do anything but make you angry." War Machine conceded. "Professor, all I'm saying is that I want to protect these kids as much as you do." He said. "I want to leave the sentinel squad here to protect the institute."

"We don't need, or want your help!" Emma said angrily. "How can you even suggest leaving sentinels here! They were made to exterminate us!"

"But they're here to protect you!" War Machine said.

"They're still sentinels" Sam said. "If I come burn a cross in yer yard and call it a night light, that don't make it any less offensive."

"I appreciate your concern Mr. Rhodes, but I will not allow sentinels of any kind on my property." Xavier said sternly.

"This really isn't the best time Jason." Bishop said as he took War Machine aside. "Give them a chance to cool off first...they've all been through hell."

"I know, and I don't want it to happen again Lucas." he said emphatically. "Times have changed and the days of you X-Men doing your own thing are numbered, you need to make sure the professor understand that." he added as he fired off his repulsor jets and flew away.

* * *

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see all of you together again!" Xavier exclaimed as he the original X-Men gathered in the living room with his current group of students. For many, like Holmes and Sam, this was the first time they'd ever met the original X-Men and it was like a dream come true to meet their hero's face to face. Bishop, Sage, Thunderbird, Banshee, Northstar and even Emma, together with Wolverine, Beast, Storm and Xavier; it was a truly impressive sight.

"So I take it you're responsible for all the repairs?" Scott asked Bishop.

"I haven't forgotten where I came from, Scott." Bishop answered. As the director of the Bureau of Mutant Affairs, he knew sometimes it must seem that way to the younger X-Men, they all had a deep distrust of the government after Colonel Striker had attacked Emma's Academy and killed her students. "None of us have." he added as Forge walked into the room.

"Security systems fixed, a ghost couldn't get in here now." he said as everyone stared at him in awe. The last time they'd seen him, he just returned from Iraq, missing both his right arm and leg and confined to a wheelchair. Yet despite this devastating injury, Forge wasn't one to give up, the same fighting spirit that drove him to save the lives of his men, only to be maimed in the process, gave him the strength to carry on a rebuild his body. "Scott, if your offer still stands, I want back on the team." he said as he extended his new mechanical hand.

"Welcome back!" Scott said empathically as he shook hands with Forge.

"So what's th deal with th family reunion?" Sam asked Scott as he and Holmes came to welcome Forge back to the institute.

"Northstar, Thunderbird and Emma have all asked to come back as instructors." Scott told him.

"You're not seriously going to let Emma teach are you?!" Danielle asked incredulously. "For God's sake Scott she's the White Queen!"

"I _was_ the White Queen..." Emma said as she approached Danielle. "I'm sorry for everything I did to hurt you Danielle, you and all the New Mutants..."

"Bullshit! You joined Magneto! You got the Hellions killed! All you care about is money and power, you never cared about them and you don't care about any of these kids either! You're only here because you're broke." Danielle said bitterly.

"Thats not true!" Emma protested. "I loved the Hellions and I wish I'd died instead of them! I'm here because I want to help these children!"

"I wish you'd died instead of them too! And I don't know how you managed to fool the professor, but you don't fool me, you don't believe in peace any more than Magneto." Danielle said coldly as she turned to leave.

"You didn't expect this to be easy did you?" Scott asked as Emma stormed away in disgust.

"Yer're makin a big mistake trustin her Scott." Sam said.

"Maybe, but right now we're hurting and we need all the help we can get." Scott answered, "Bishop and Sage still work for the government, they won't be around much and Sean's still working for Interpol...we won't be getting much help out of him either." he explained.

"I agree wit' Sam, yuir're making a big mistake." Rahne said as she and Holmes turned to leave.

* * *

**Hammer Bay - Genosha**

"Welcome home Ghost." Eric said she bowed before him. She had changed a lot in four years and he had to admit, he was impressed she'd even survived her training, let alone become the deadly warrior that now stood before him. She was far from the most powerful mutant in the brotherhood, but her unique powers and skills certainly made her a valuable asset and he was going to use her to her full potential. "Your work for Harada was most impressive, but now your true test begins...I hope you're ready."

"I am, I'll do anything you ask." she said emphatically.

"Excellent, because I'm currently planning a mission specifically for you." he said as Ghost's face instantly lit up, she was eager to prove herself to Magneto and repay him for saving her. She didn't care what she had to do, or even if she came back, she was prepared to sacrifice herself for the cause.

"What do want me to do?" she asked eagerly as he held up his hand and used his powers to open the doors behind them.

"Be patient Ghost, even you won't succeed without the proper equipment..." Magneto answered as she followed him out. "You ability to bend light will only get you so far." he explained as they rode the elevator down to the weapons development lab. "Guard dogs and some of the X-Men will be able to pick up your scent and anyone with an infrared camera or goggles will still be able to see you...which is why we've been working on this." he said as they stepped off the elevator into the lab. Ghost stared in awe at the special uniform they'd designed for her. It was a black, form fitting body suit designed to mask her body heat and with a special charcoal lining to help keep her scent to a minimum, complete with special boots to aide her natural stealth and the head piece contained the same material as Magneto's helmet to keep telepaths from detecting her. True, she couldn't use her light bending power continuously, but this suit would certainly help her remain undetected even when she wasn't invisible.

"Every warrior needs an ideal weapon my dear." he said as he handed her a sword wrapped in a black satin cloth. "Perfectly balanced, coated in adamantium and laser sharpened...it's the most perfect blade ever forged."

"I won't fail you master." Ghost said as she admired his gift.

* * *

**Westchester - New York**

"So...tell me about this new team." Bishop said as he and Logan stepped outside for a smoke.

"You're from the future, I thought you knew everything." Logan answered.

"All I know is what I read in books, you were all dead by the time I was born...except Gambit." Bishop answered.

"Yeah, I been meanin to talk to ya about that bub...a little heads up would have been nice, I know Holmes would have appreciated it." Logan said ominously.

"Logan, if I'd known anything, I'd have stopped this, believe me!" Bishop exclaimed. "This wasn't in any history book I ever read and Remy never told me about it either."

"Well maybe you're not changing the future for the better after all."

"Nothing could be worse than that hell I came from...and you can't be sure I've done anything to cause this, our history books were incomplete, this may have been left out."

"What those kids did back there should never have been left out." Logan growled.

"Exactly, thats why I'd like to know more about these kids, especially Holmes, he was barely mentioned in my books."

"Who cares who made it into your damn books?"

"You did." Bishop answered.

"He's a good kid, they're all good kids...most of them have been through hell because they're mutants, but they believe in what the professor's doing." Logan told him.

"But what about **_him_**?" Bishop asked again.

"He's not the one Bishop!" Logan yelled. "He nearly died trying to save Rahne and the kids!"

"I'm sorry Logan, but I have to find the one who betrayed and murdered the X-Men!" Bishop yelled back. "It's the only way to prevent my future from becoming yours!" he snapped, pointing at the M branded over his eye.

"How do we know you aren't the one!? How do we know you don't cause this "nightmare future" by screwing around with the past?!"

"I guess you don't." Bishop said as he threw his cigar down and stomped it out. Logan snorted in disgust as he watched Bishop go, he had never liked him, the way he thought he knew what was best for all of them, and he really hated the way he went around suspecting other X-Men of being the "traitor to Xavier's dream" who murdered the professor and killed off the whole team. Holmes probably seemed like the perfect candidate with his psychic immunity and psychological trauma, but Logan knew he couldn't be the one...his faith and his love for Rahne would never allow him to commit such an atrocity.

* * *

**Later that Evening**

"Thanks fer coming ya'll." Holmes said as he and Rahne walked into the briefing room, the others Hodge had captured had all gathered there, even Alex.

"What's this about Holmes?" Ororo asked.

"We have to decide what to do with this." Holmes said as he tossed an inhibitor on the table.

"Break the damn thing!" Piotr snapped as he raised his fist.

"No!" Kitty yelled, "that thing might be Rogue's only chance at a normal life."

"Exactly..." Rahne said as she sat down. "I hate tha' thing as much as any of ye...probably more, but Mike and I have been talking...and we think we should give it tae Forge and let him try tae use it tae help Rogue control her powers."

"Are you sure Holmes?" They used that thing to torture you..." Bobby asked.

"I know Bobby, I was there remember?!" Holmes snapped.

"He's right, that thing represents nothing but hate, evil and pain, maybe Piotr's right...maybe we should destroy it." Jubilee said.

"I'm not willing to take what might be Rogue's only chance away from her, because of what happened to me." Holmes said.

"We all take human contact fer granted." Tabitha said, "but have ya'll ever really thought about what it must be like fer her? I can't imagine not being able to touch Sam, let alone kiss him or...well..."

"I know, but..." Jubilee said.

"No, _**you**_ don't." Holmes interrupted. "None of ya'll have lost something like I have, and that gives ya a totally new outlook on everything." Seeing he had their attention he continued, although he hoped what he was about to say wouldn't embarrass Rahne. "When I lost my arm and leg and ended up lookin so awful...I had to accept there were a lot of things I'd never be able to do again, or at least not do them very well and that scared the hell out of me. Knowing I'd never be able to have a normal physical relationship with Rahne was the worst part of all."

"We've made our decision, but I think this has tae be unanimous, tha' things hurt all of ye." Rahne said.

"I say give it to Forge." Tabitha said.

"Me too." Kitty said. One by one, they all agreed that they should use the inhibitor to help Rogue. Even after all the pain that had been inflicted on them, they could all agree that Rogue's happiness was too important and they couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"He almost seemed like himself for a while there." Kitty said as she watched Holmes go.

"I wish it were that easy for him..." Ororo said. "But there's still so much pain and anger in him...I hope Dr. Sampson can help."

* * *

**Forge's Lab**

"This is perfect Forge..." Scott said as he tried on the new visor Forge had made for him. "The targeting system is incredible."

"Its got built in night vision and I finally perfected the focusing lenses...you're gonna kick some serious ass with that thing." Forge told him. "And I finished your new uniforms Sam." he added as he opened up one of the many panels in the wall of his lab to show off his latest design. "Custom made for each of the New Mutants...hell, they look so good I even made one for me."

"Yeah, they do..." Sam sighed, "but the professor disbanded the New Mutants...we haven't told everyone yet, since Jamie and Jubilee have enough to deal with and we still don't know what he's going to do with Dani, Rob and Amara."

"He better put 'em on th front line with us, they've all proved themselves." Holmes said as he walked in. "And we'll be taking those uniforms Forge; ya did a hell of a job."

"Holmes, you and Sam are X-Men now and we wear blue."

"Well, I ain't goin on another mission without th' best protection, and that happens to come in red and black at the moment." Sam said as he tried on his new armor vest and jacket.

"He's got a point Scott, the nano-armor is stronger and it repairs itself, they're better insulated against fire, ice and electricity, they have more mobility and there's absolutely no metal for Magneto to control, these uniforms are as good as they get."

"And they don't look like clown shit." Holmes added, as he admired Forge's work.

"Ok, I give up! I'll talk to the professor the first chance I get." Scott said. "Holmes, I assume you guys have made your decision?"

"Yeah." he said as he laid the inhibitor on Forge's work bench. "We know you're busy Forge, but we want ya to take a look at this thing and see if ya can use it to design something to help Rogue control her powers...this might be the only chance she's got at having a normal life."

"I don't even like looking at this damn thing." Forge said, thinking about all the pain and suffering it had caused both the X-Men and the Genoshans. "But for Rogue, I'll do it." he said as he picked it up and began to examine it. "This is going to take a while." he said after a moment. "I'll be damned if I believe the design for this came from our time...The Fixer couldn't even come up with something like this if the Tinkerer was helping him."

_'Just like those nano machines and the mind control implants, this must be some more of Apocalypse's technology...I wish we knew where the Genoshans got this stuff.'_ Scott thought.

"Well I can't do anything tonight...I need to pick up some more equipment and tools from my lab back at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ." Forge said as he turned out the lights and they all headed back upstairs, it had already been a long day and with the arrival of M.R.D. and the old team, there been too much drama.

"Ya need some help?" Holmes asked.

"Yeah...shouldn't take too long." Forge said, he'd been wanting to talk to Holmes ever since he'd gotten back.

"I'll let Rahne know you'll be gone fer a while." Sam said as Holmes pulled on his jacket and followed Forge out.

* * *

"That sucks about the New Mutants being disbanded..." Forge said as they sped through the night, back toward New York City.

"Yeah, but there ain't shit I can do about it, he's been wanting to shut us down for a while now..." Holmes grumbled. Sage had originally formed the team out of necessity to deal with the threat of Magneto, Apocalypse, and the Hell Fire club after it appeared the X-Men and Xavier had been killed defending Earth from the Phoenix Force. Once they'd returned, with the mysterious being imprisoned inside Jean, Xavier downgraded the New Mutants to a training squad with limited combat exposure, due to their age and limited experience. The New Mutants had already saved the world during the X-Men's brief absence and they were deeply offended by Xavier's actions, leading to a rivalry between the two teams. Now that there was a sufficient number of X-Men to handle any conceivable threat, Xavier felt it was time to put an end to the infighting. Even though they were considered inferior to the X-Men, Sam and company took pride in being New Mutants and while they were honored to be chosen by the X-Men, they wished they could still be New Mutants and they were all concerned for their former teammates who weren't yet X-Men and no longer New Mutants.

"I understand what you're going through, part of me misses the Marines and the brothers I left there, but things change and you've got to roll with it." Forge told him. "Be proud you and you're friends were chosen to be X-Men, they've done a lot of good for a lot of people."

"Forge, I don't have years of history and experience to fall back on to tell me I'm doing th right thing...th X-Men have been savin th world long before I ever put on th uniform, but what's it all been fer, people still hate us..."

"Saving the worlds not the same as changing the world Holmes...that take a lot longer." Forge answered. "I felt the same way after I got my arm and leg blown off, I'm sure your dad did too...you're not alone and its alright to feel the way you do. People piss me off...hell, sometimes I really wonder if they're even worth it..."

"Yeah..." Holmes muttered. "We save th world and fer five minutes we're hero's and everybody loves us...then we're back to being a bunch of stinking mutants putting ourselves above the law again...who th hell are they to protest us!? They're alive because of us!" he said angrily.

"I know..." Forge said. "This country's so damn fucked up, but its all we've got and its worth fighting for even if these mindless sheep don't appreciate it, or us."

"Th other X-Men are all I'm fightin fer anymore...all th rest is just bullshit." Holmes told him. Forge nodded in silent agreement, he knew how Holmes felt, he'd joined the Marines right after September 11th, speeches about honor and duty still ringing in his ears, but once they hit the ground and the bullets started flying...honor, duty and country didn't mean anything compared to the lives of the Marines by his side and despite the horror around him, he kept fighting for them, they were going to make it home even if it meant he didn't.


	22. Chapter 22: Blood and Iron

**Chapter 22: Blood and Iron**

**The Next Morning**

"This place beautiful." Anna said as she and her parents pulled up in front of the Xavier Institute. The pictures Holmes had sent her were nice, but it was so much more impressive in person.

"Go find your brother; we'll be in as soon as we unload the car." Her dad said as Anna got out and stood in falling snow looking up at the mansion. Just as she started for the front door, Kurt teleported in front of her with Holmes and Rahne; startling all of them. Holmes parents stood there, shocked and relieved at the same time, two days ago he'd been crippled for life and now he was bear hugging his sister who'd jumped into his arms at the first sight of him.

'_I guess when your big brother is a werewolf a blue demon just doesn't seem strange anymore.'_ Kurt thought. He wasn't wearing his inducer but Anna either hadn't noticed or just didn't care. "Go on, meet your future mother in law." Kurt teased as he whipped his tail around and gave Rahne a nudge. He knew she was nervous, hoping they wouldn't hate her for what had happened to their son, but Kurt could tell right away that these were good people.

"How could ya not tell us?!" Anna demanded, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. Holmes suddenly felt really ashamed of himself, he'd been so happy to finally be healed and able to take care of Rahne the way he'd wanted too that he hadn't thought to tell his family.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry fer everything " he said as he put her down and wiped his eyes. "It happened the other night, it was a secondary mutation. I guess God decided I wasn't done yet."

"I'm just glad you're still here." Anna said. One look in his eyes and she knew he understood how much they had been worried about him and how sorry he was to have made them worry. Their family was no stranger to this, but that didn't make it any easier for any of them. She remembered all the nights he had sat up with her and tried to comfort her when their dad had been deployed how he'd tried to be strong for her when their dad had gotten hit by that RPG. "I love you." She said as she hugged him again.

"I love you too little sister..." he sniffed as he held her. "I'm sorry...oh God I'm sorry...but, I had to do it "

"I know...**WE** know yer friend Tabitha wrote us an email, she told us the truth about this place, how its all most of these kids have...she told us about the kind of person she used to be and then she told us about Rahne and how she believed in her and brought her to Jesus. She wrote a lot about you and how you're always trying to be everybody's big brother...how you and Rahne are her family and how much she loves ya'll...I don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life." She said. "I know why you fight, because nobody should have to grow up the way she and Rahne did...I'll never take you, or our family fer granted again." She said as she pushed him toward their parents and then turned back to Rahne.

"Hey Rahne." Anna sighed as the two hugged each other. "I always knew you must be special if Mike loved ya, but...you're incredible and I hope you'll always be a part of our family." she said as Holmes and his parents all broke down crying, hugging each other. Rahne felt the deepest sense of relief as she held Anna close, all her fears about meeting his family had been put to rest by her kindness. Anna was relieved as well, her father and her brother weren't usually given to showing emotion like that and now she knew everything was going to be all right with her family. "Come on and meet mom and dad." Anna said as she put her arm around Rahne.

Kurt offered a silent prayer of thanks as he watched Holmes' parents greet Rahne and welcome her into their family. Whatever Tabitha had told them had obviously made them understand why their son was so in love with her. He knew this was a private moment so he grabbed their bags and teleported back to the room Ororo had set up for Holmes' parents. Several other families, including his, had come to visit their kids at the institute and they were running out of room. They'd arranged for Anna to share a room with Megan, but Kurt didn't think that was going to be a problem, they seemed a lot alike although Anna was a lot more mature than any sixteen year old he'd ever met.

* * *

"Thats Anna?!" Tabitha said as she and Sam came to the top of the stairs and saw Holmes, Rahne and the rest of his family sitting and talking with Xavier, Ororo, and Hank. "She's taller than he is; I thought she was supposed to be his little sister..."

"Nothin little about her." Sam replied. Anna _was_ taller than Holmes and almost as beautiful as Tabitha. "Come on, lets go see 'em." he said. Tabitha barely got to the bottom of the stairs before being tackled by Anna, she was really impressed with her ever since she'd read her letter and she'd really wanted to meet her.

"I'm guessing super strength runs in th family." Tabitha teased as she hugged Anna back. She really wasn't used to anyone looking up to her, but it was obvious from the look in her eyes that Anna did. Sure, she thought She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Wasp were cool, what sixteen year old girl wouldn't, but they seemed a little too perfect. Tabitha was her age and had issues she could relate too, plus she'd had a difficult childhood and had to struggle and fight for everything she had. Despite her incredible powers, Tabitha still seemed human and so did Rahne; Anna admired them for their character and determination, not their powers.

"I'm sorry." Anna apologized, realizing she'd almost knocked Tabitha down. She'd thought she would be taller. "But I was really impressed with that letter ya wrote us...you and Rahne are really incredible and what ya said about Mike, him being everybody's big brother...that kinda helped put all this in perspective."

"I know ya'll love him." Tabitha said. "I just wanted ya'll to understand why we do." Anna nodded in agreement and hugged Tabitha again before turning to Sam. Tabitha was flattered by Anna's admiration, but she reminded herself why she'd written that letter and didn't let this unintended hero worship go to her head.

"You have to be Sam." Anna said looking up at him. "Thanks fer savin ma brother." she whispered as she held him close.

"I had a lota help." he said. "Josh is th one ya should really be thankin."

"Where is Josh anyway" Rahne asked as she and Holmes joined them.

"Out here getting his butt kicked with the rest of us in a snowball fight." Kitty said as she phased through the wall to avoid getting even more snow down the back of her shirt. She still wasn't fully recovered and wasn't nearly as quick as usual. "The little ones and most of his class joined forces and now they've got us out numbered...I even tried hiding behind Piotr, but they still got me."

"Lets go even th odds" Tabitha said as she pushed Sam and Kitty out the door. "Ya'll get yer coats on and come help!" she said to Rahne, Holmes and Anna.

"Ya'll go on, we're fine." His dad said.

* * *

"So who won?" Holmes' dad asked as he came outside after Xavier's tour of the Institute.

"Had to call a cease-fire." Holmes said as he got up from helping Rahne and the little mutants build a snowman. "Technically we're like Korea, so don't cross th' DMZ." he said pointing across the yard at the frozen creek. Bobby, Jamie and a good many of the others were trying to build a bigger snowman on the other side.

"It really is amazing what he's done with this place." his dad said as he watched the students play in the snow with the little ones. He was glad they still had the chance to act like kids sometimes, it was awful that they had to grow up too fast and take on responsibilities most adults were afraid too. Still, the world needed the X-Men, there was no denying it, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers couldn't stop every threat. Neither could any of the other super teams or individuals, or the conventional military for that matter.

"Ya'll asked me one time was it worth it...well, what do ya think?" Holmes asked.

"That was your mother who asked that...I've been to war, I know you're the only one who can truly answer that." His dad answered.

"I don't know if I came here fer th right reason or not, but I know I'm stayin fer th right reason." Holmes said, looking at Rahne and the kids. "It was worth it."

"I'm glad she's part of your life now, she's really special and so are your friends." his dad said as they started walking toward the Japanese garden. "And I'm glad you're using your power to protect these kids and this place and not showing off like that jackass Human Flame or whatever his name is."

"Ya raised me better than that."

"I did, and I am so proud of you and everything you've done, but I've always been proud of you and your sister." he said. "You've become the man I think you always wanted to be, the man I knew you would be. But this life we've chosen is hard and it comes with a price." "I've seen too many of my men come home just to end up divorced and falling apart because they thought they had to carry this burden alone."

"They don't have anybody at home who understands what happened to them, or what they had to do...I have Rahne." he said, looking back at her as she, Anna and Tabitha played with the children.

"What happened to Rahne?" his dad asked. He knew he probably didn't want to know the answer but he knew his son well enough to know that more than his own problems were weighing on him.

"They...they tried to rape her...filthy bastards...Tabitha got loose and saved her, but..." he couldn't finish. It made him sick to think about it, Rahne was so sweet and innocent and those animals treated her like a whore. He was so thankful for Tabitha, the thought of what it would have done to Rahne psychologically as well as physically was just too awful. He knew God had been watching over all of them even though it hadn't seemed like it at the time and he was ashamed he'd gotten angry with God, screaming at him in pain and fear, right before he was rescued.

"Anyway, I'm getting help if thats what yer worried about." Holmes said after a moment. His dad deserved the truth, not more of his "hard-ass" bravado. "I been on ma knees a lot since I got back...but I know God expects me t' do ma part...I been talkin to Wolverine and I'll even go see Dr. Sampson because Rahne wants me too."

"I know this is hard for you, but you can talk to me too..." his dad said as he put his arm around his shoulders.

"I'm gettin over it, you raised me better than t' wallow in self pity." Holmes said. "And like Rahne said...I didn't talk...I wanted too, but...she kept me going and God kept me strong." he added, wiping his eyes.

"You are strong, you're one of the strongest men I've ever known, but you're not indestructible...none of us are." his dad said quietly. "I don't want to see you get so twisted up inside with anger and hate over what happened to Rahne that you forget who you are." He couldn't believe his dad had just said that to him, in his mind his dad was untouchable and he'd never come anywhere close to being the man he was.

"I did things on that island I didn't think I was capable of….I know who I am now…."

"That doesn't define you….do you think I've never done those things?" His father asked. "We've all got an animal inside us, but it doesn't own you…I know." He said. "I've been through this myself; believe me when I tell you that you're still a good man, you'll be a good husband and a great father...remember that we love you and God loves you and the devil can't defeat you." He said as he hugged his son. They sat in the garden and talked until it was almost dark, but Holmes heard what he needed to hear and although he still had a long way to go, he knew he, Rahne, Tabitha and Sam were going to make it.

* * *

I'd greatly appreciate some feedback folks! I've had a change of heart and Crusade doesn't have to end here. I do have some more stories to tell if anyone is interested.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
